5-HT receptor sub-types: aspects of their regulation and function.
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to T Zetterström.
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We have tested the effects in rats of two potassium channel blocking drugs, 4-aminopyridine and quinine, on morphine-induced stimulation of behavioural activity and on dopamine outflow in nucleus accumbens using microdialysis. Morphine (1 mg/kg s.c.) increased dopamine output by 123% in nucleus accumbens. This dose of morphine also stimulated behavioural activity which in the early part of the time course corresponded closely with the increase of dopamine outflow in nucleus accumbens. Both of these effects were maximal 60-80 min after the morphine administration. 4-Aminopyridine (1 mg/kg i.p.) or quinine (50 mg/kg i.p.) injected 20 min before morphine inhibited the maximal effect on dopamine output by 88 and 80% respectively. Pretreatment with the two potassium channel blocking drugs also resulted in a reduction of morphine-induced stimulation of behavioural activity, 4-aminopyridine by 77% and quinine by 66%. In summary this study demonstrates that two drugs known to block potassium channels inhibit two effects of morphine associated with mesolimbic dopamine function.
The effects of three different 5HT3 receptor antagonists, granisetron, ICS 205-930 and ondansetron (0.01, 0.1 and 1 mg/kg, s.c.) were tested on changes in mesolimbic dopamine function produced by 1 mg/kg of morphine in the rat. Increases of in vivo dopamine release and stimulation of behavioural activity (grooming, locomotion, rearing and sniffing) were monitored. Morphine (0.5 and 1 mg/kg, s.c.) increased dose-dependently the concentration of dopamine in dialysates obtained from the nucleus accumbens. This action of morphine was inhibited by the opiate antagonist naloxone (1 mg/kg, s.c.). Morphine (0.5 and 1 mg/kg) stimulated behavioural activity, which in the early part of the time course corresponded closely with the increase of dopamine in the nucleus accumbens. Pretreatment with 1 mg/kg (s.c.) of granisetron resulted in moderate inhibition (28%) of the morphine-induced stimulation of the extracellular dopamine levels, while doses of 0.01 and 0.1 mg/kg (s.c.) had no effect. The highest dose of granisetron (1 mg/kg, s.c.) also significantly reduced the morphine-induced enhancement of behavioural activity. The fact that granisetron attenuated morphine-induced effects on mesolimbic DA only at the highest dose tested (1 mg/kg, s.c.) was also true for ICS 205-930 and ondansetron. It is concluded that 5HT3 receptor antagonists partially inhibit, with low potency, the morphine-induced stimulation of dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens and the corresponding behavioural activation.
The effects on striatal dopamine (DA) release and metabolism by local administration of adenosine analogues with different affinities for the A1 and A2 adenosine receptors, were investigated using the technique of microdialysis. 2-Chloroadenosine (2-CADO), decreased levels of both dopamine (DA) and 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) in striatal dialysates at concentrations of 1-10 microM; a similar effect was also seen after administration of N6-(2-phenylisopropyl)adenosine (R(-)-PIA) and 5'-N-ethylcarboxamido-adenosine (NECA) at a concentration of 10 microM. The inhibitory action of 2-CADO on DA release and metabolism was blocked by the selective A1 antagonist 8-cyclopentyl-1,3-dimethylxanthine (CPT), suggesting mediation by A1 receptors. 2-CADO at a concentration of 100 microM increased levels of both DA and DOPAC in striatal perfusates, an effect which was not inhibited by CPT. This stimulatory action on extracellular DA concentration in striatum was also seen with 10 microM 5'-(N-cyclopropyl)-carboxamidoadenosine (CPCA) a relatively selective A2 adenosine agonist. These results suggest that adenosine agonists enhance or depress striatal DA release depending on the nature and concentration of the drug.
The action of local administration of flurazepam on extracellular levels of dopamine (DA) and its metabolites 3,4 dihydroxyphenyl acetic acid (DOPAC) and homovanillic acid (HVA) in the anterior striatum and medial nucleus accumbens have been investigated using microdialysis. Flurazepam (10 microM), administered through the perfusion medium for 20 min, reduced levels of DA in dialysates from the nucleus accumbens by 60% while the same concentration of the drug had no effect on levels of DA in perfusates from the striatum. Pretreatment with the benzodiazepine antagonist Ro 15-1788 (flumazenil) or with picrotoxin, a drug which blocks the GABAA receptor-associated chloride channel, inhibited the effect of flurazepam on levels of DA in the nucleus accumbens, which suggests that the effect was mediated by the multimolecular GABAA/benzodiazepine receptor complex. Administration of flurazepam had little effect on the two metabolites of DA, DOPAC and HVA, in either the nucleus accumbens or striatum. The inverse partial benzodiazepine agonist, FG 7142, had no significant action on the release of DA in the nucleus accumbens. These results suggest that the dopaminergic projection to the nucleus accumbens is more sensitive to benzodiazepine-induced inhibition than the projection to the striatum.
Tail pinch in the rat gives rise to a well characterised pattern of behaviour which includes gnawing, licking and eating. We have used both in vivo voltammetry and microdialysis to monitor neurochemical changes which accompany the behavioural response to a 5-min tail pinch. Tail pinch resulted in a increase of extracellular 5-hydroxytryptamine and a smaller and more delayed increase of 5-hydroxyindole acetic acid in the hippocampus. In the striatum there was a rise of both extracellular dopamine and ascorbate. With a recently developed constant potential voltammetric technique we can continuously monitor changes in extracellular ascorbate. Using this technique we found a very rapid rise in ascorbate current during a 5-min tail pinch; the current began to decline as soon as the clip was removed. The high time resolution of the technique also allowed us to record similar ascorbate changes during a 0.5-s tail pinch.
Tail pinch was administered through a paper clip attached to the rat's tail. The ex vivo changes in the metabolite/transmitter ratio were used as a measure of changes in the turnover of dopamine and 5-hydroxytryptamine. After a 2-min tail pinch dopamine turnover was increased in the striatum but not in the frontal cortex, hypothalamus or olfactory tubercle; 5-hydroxytryptamine turnover was increased in frontal cortex and hippocampus and was unchanged in striatum, hypothalamus and olfactory tubercle. Microdialysis was used to monitor the changes in extracellular neurotransmitter and metabolite concentrations during and after tail pinch. A 5-min tail pinch caused a rapid rise of both dopamine in the striatum and 5-hydroxytryptamine in the hippocampus. There was a smaller increase in the 5-hydroxytryptamine metabolite 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid and only a non-significant increase in the dopamine metabolite 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid.
The effects of benzodiazepine- and GABAA-receptor agonists and antagonists on the release and metabolism of 5-HT were measured in the ventral hippocampus of freely moving rats using microdialysis. Systemic injections of the benzodiazepine agonists, flurazepam and diazepam reduced the levels of 5-HT while the partial inverse agonist, FG 7142 (N-methyl-beta-carboline-3-carboxamide), had no effect. Local perfusion of flurazepam through the dialysis probe also decreased the release of 5-HT in the ventral hippocampus, an effect which was completely blocked by the benzodiazepine antagonist, Ro15-1788 (flumazenil). Local application of the GABAA agonist muscimol had no effect on the release of 5-HT, while the antagonist picrotoxin, administered locally, caused a 4-fold enhancement of release of 5-HT. Picrotoxin also resulted in a complete block of the inhibitory effect of flurazepam on release of 5-HT. None of these drugs caused significant changes in the levels of the metabolite of 5-HT, 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) in the ventral hippocampus. These results suggest that the inhibitory effect of flurazepam on the release of 5-HT is mediated by benzodiazepine/GABAA receptors in the hippocampus and that GABA exerts a tonic inhibitory effect on the release of 5-HT in the region of the brain.
In order to further examine the likely origin of the dopamine (DA) metabolite, 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC), certain drugs known to release DA from different intraneuronal pools were tested for their effects on extracellular striatal DA and DOPAC levels by means of brain microdialysis in the halothane-anaesthetized rat. Amphetamine (10(-6) and 10(-5) M), nomifensine (10(-5) M), potassium chloride (30 and 60 mM), methylphenidate (10(-5) and 10(-4) M) and tyramine (10(-5) M), when added to the perfusion medium and administered locally into the striatum via the dialysis membrane, increased the level of DA in striatal perfusates during the 20 min of application. In comparison, the level of DOPAC in the perfusates was decreased by both amphetamine (10(-5) M) and potassium chloride (60 mM), but was not significantly changed by nomifensine, methylphenidate or tyramine. The effect of amphetamine (10(-6) M) and nomifensine (10(-5) M) on DA and DOPAC levels was further studied by administering the drugs over a longer period of time (3 X 20 min). Although both of these treatments produced a similar increase of DA, only amphetamine reduced the levels of DOPAC. DA (10(-4) but not (10(-5) M) increased the levels of DOPAC but this effect was also seen in DA-denervated animals. These data indicate that when the DA nerve terminal is exposed to drugs which release newly synthesized DA, DOPAC declines possibly because intraneuronal monoamine oxidase is deprived of its main substrate. We suggest that these findings support the hypothesis that a major portion of the DA metabolite, DOPAC, is derived from an intraneuronal pool of newly synthesized DA.
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This short article reviews HPLC-EC methodology that we are currently applying to measure DA, 5-HT and their acid metabolites in rat brain dialysates collected in vivo. HPLC-EC systems based on standard-bore HPLC columns are described which are sufficiently sensitive to allow detection of the monoamine transmitters and their metabolites in regional brain dialysates collected at 10-20 min intervals. A large reduction in sample requirement was achieved by "down-scaling" the conventional HPLC-EC assay to incorporate small-bore HPLC columns. The small-bore systems allowed monoamines to be detected in samples collected over 1 to a few minutes.
An intracerebral microdialysis method was used in awake rats to directly compare the effect of amphetamine on dopamine (DA) release in the striatum and nucleus (n.) accumbens with alterations in behaviour. Amphetamine (0.5-5.0 mg/kg, s.c.) caused a dose-dependent release of DA in both brain regions; however the n. accumbens appeared for the most part more sensitive to amphetamine than the striatum. At each individual dose of the drug, 0.5, 2.0 and 5.0 mg/kg s.c., DA release was closely followed over the time course by the overall behavioural syndrome. Certain components of behaviour showed a regional-specific association with DA release. The intensity of stereotyped head and forepaw movements was closely correlated over the dose range with the amount of DA released in striatum but not n. accumbens. Over the time course, however, the occurrence of this behaviour was delayed compared to increased striatal DA release. In contrast, increased locomotor activity was correlated with the time course change in, and amount of, DA released in n. accumbens by low doses of amphetamine, but not at any dose with DA released in striatum. Repetitive sniffing was better correlated with DA released in n. accumbens than striatum. These in vivo measurements of DA release add further support to the hypothesis that amphetamine-induced stereotypy and locomotion are mediated via DA released in striatum and n. accumbens, respectively. Our data suggest that the occurrence of intense stereotypy rather than locomotor activity at high doses of amphetamine is not due to a selection action in striatum but probably competition between the two behaviours.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
The autoregulation of dopamine release and metabolism by intrastriatal grafts of mesencephalic dopamine neurons was examined in vivo using an intracerebral dialysis technique. Dopamine-rich cell suspension grafts were implanted into the head of the caudate putamen in rats with complete unilateral 6-hydroxydopamine lesion of the nigrostriatal dopamine pathway. Six months later behavioural tests indicated that the grafts had reversed the lesion-induced rotational behaviour. Extracellular levels of striatal dopamine and its metabolites 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid and homovanillic acid were monitored bilaterally in the halothane-anaesthetized grafted rat, both under basal conditions, and also following low (0.05 mg/kg) and high (0.5 mg/kg) doses of the dopamine receptor agonist apomorphine. The perfusate from the grafted striatum showed levels of dopamine which were not statistically different from those of the intact contralateral striatum, indicating that the baseline release of dopamine from the graft was close to normal. Similarly, 3-4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid and homovanillic acid levels were well recovered on the grafted side (67% and 52%, respectively, of control values). Consistent with previous observations, levels of the serotonin metabolite 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid measured in perfusate collected from the grafted side was elevated significantly above normal. Subsequent histological analysis revealed large grafts, rich in dopamine-containing neurons (mean +/- SEM number equalled 3138 +/- 630), giving rise to an approximately normal density of dopamine-containing fibres in the area of the host caudate putamen surrounding the probe. Treatment with 0.05 mg/kg (subcutaneous) apomorphine did not affect extracellular dopamine recovered from the grafted striatum, while extracellular DA decreased by a maximum of 30% on the intact side. However, a subsequent injection of 0.5 mg/kg apomorphine produced a large decrease of the dopamine recovered from both the grafted (maximum 40% decrease) and intact striata (maximum 80% decrease). Both the low and the high dose of apomorphine reduced extracellular dopamine metabolite levels, a response which was essentially similar for both the intact and grafted sides. Finally, the dopamine reuptake blocker nomifensine (10(-5) M) added to the perfusion medium produced similar large increases in dopamine in perfusates collected from both grafted and intact striata, while 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid and homovanillic acid did not change.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
The effect of p-chloroamphetamine (PCA) on extracellular levels of endogenous 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) and dopamine (DA) in the striatum and frontal cortex of the halothane-anesthetized rat was studied using an intracerebral dialysis method. PCA (5 mg/kg s.c.) induced an immediate, marked release of 5-HT into dialysates collected from the frontal cortex and striatum, an effect which lasted over 2 h. This treatment also caused a marked release of DA in the striatum. The results further emphasize the need to carefully assess the involvement of brain DA as well as 5-HT in PCA-induced behaviors.
An intracerebral dialysis method was used in the halothane-anaesthetized rat to further clarify the site which mediates the amphetamine-induced decrease of the striatal dopamine (DA) metabolites dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) and homovanillic acid (HVA). Following subcutaneous injection of amphetamine (0.1-5.0 mg/kg), DOPAC and HVA in striatal perfusates decreased over the 2 h time course, with 0.5 mg/kg of the drug having maximal effect. In comparison, amphetamine (0.1-5.0 mg/kg) caused a strictly dose-dependent increase of DA in striatal perfusates. Following low (0.1-5.0 mg/kg) but not high (2.0-5.0 mg/kg) doses of amphetamine there was a negative correlation between the increase of DA and decrease of DOPAC in the striatum. Amphetamine (0.5 mg/kg) caused a reduction in DA metabolism in the ibotenic acid-lesioned striatum. Intranigral injection of 10 micrograms, but not of 1 microgram amphetamine, decreased DOPAC (-27%) in the striatal perfusates. However, injection of 1 microgram amphetamine into the striatum caused a strong decrease in striatal DOPAC (-46%) and HVA (-22%). The possible mechanisms of action of amphetamine are discussed in the light of these data.
A miniaturized liquid chromatographic system with electrochemical detection (LC-ED) was developed and applied to the analysis of dopamine and its metabolites in dialysate samples collected from the rat brain in vivo. An existing LC-ED system was down-scaled using a 1 mm I.D. small-bore column operated at a reduced flow-rate and with an injection volume of 1 microliter. With the small-bore system the limit of detection for dopamine of ca. 0.06 pg was almost 50 times less than with the conventional system, which represents a two-fold improvement in concentration sensitivity. Miniaturization was accomplished with negligible loss in resolution by using a conventional commercial amperometric detector with minor modifications. The results indicate that a number of useful advantages could be realized by the combination of this small-bore LC-ED system and the in vivo brain dialysis method.
Intracerebral dialysis was used to simultaneously monitor extracellular dopamine (DA) in striatum and behaviour in rats following administration of amphetamine and sulpiride. Amphetamine (2 mg/kg s.c.) caused a marked release of DA into striatal perfusates, an effect which was potentiated in rats pretreated with sulpiride (50 mg/kg s.c.). Amphetamine-induced stereotyped head and forepaw movements were potentiated by sulpiride at a time point corresponding with the enhanced release of DA. In comparison, amphetamine-induced locomotor activity was completely inhibited by sulpiride.
Amphetamine- and L-DOPA-induced changes in extracellular levels of striatal dopamine (DA) were monitored during rotational behaviour in rats with a unilateral 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) lesion of the nigrostriatal DA pathway. In vivo DA release measurements were obtained using intracerebral dialysis combined with high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection (HPLC-ED). In unilaterally denervated rats no DA was detected in dialysates collected from the striatum ipsilateral to the lesion while the contralateral side showed a compensatory increase in basal DA levels when compared to non-lesioned controls. Amphetamine (0.5-5.0 mg/kg s.c.) caused a dose-dependent release of DA in the striatum of normal rats and in the intact striatum of DA denervated rats but did not significantly release DA in the lesioned striatum. In response to amphetamine (0.5-5.0 mg/kg s.c.) lesioned animals showed dose-related ipsilateral rotational behaviour which in general correlated well with the time-course change in, and the total amount of, DA release in striatum contralateral to the lesion. In contrast to amphetamine, in lesioned rats, the DA precursor L-DOPA (20 mg/kg s.c.) induced readily detectable amounts of DA in dialysates collected from the DA denervated striatum. The L-DOPA-induced appearance of DA, which approached basal DA levels seen on the intact side, was concomitant with contralateral rotational behaviour. However, the time-course change in DA levels did not closely correlate with the apparently two-peak pattern of contralateral rotation induced by L-DOPA.