An intracellular study of the action of NAN-190 on neurons in the dorsal raphe nucleus of the rat

5-HT 1A/1B receptor-mediated effects of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, citalopram, on sleep: studies in 5-HT 1A and 5-HT 1B knockout mice

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are extensively used for the treatment of depression. Aside from their antidepressant properties, they provoke a deficit in paradoxical sleep (PS) that is most probably mediated by the transporter blockade-induced increase in serotonin concentration in the extracellular space. Such an effect can be accounted for by the action of serotonin at various types of serotonergic receptors involved in PS regulation, among which the 5-HT(1A) and 5-HT(1B) types are the best candidates. According to this hypothesis, we examined the effects of citalopram, the most selective SSRI available to date, on sleep in the mouse after inactivation of 5-HT(1A) or 5-HT(1B) receptors, either by homologous recombination of their encoding genes, or pharmacological blockade with selective antagonists. For this purpose, sleep parameters of knockout mice that do not express these receptors and their wild-type counterparts were monitored during 8 h after injection of citalopram alone or in association with 5-HT(1A) or 5-HT(1B) receptor antagonists. Citalopram induced mainly a dose-dependent inhibition of PS during 2-6 h after injection, which was observed in wild-type and 5-HT(1B)-/- mice, but not in 5-HT(1A)-/- mutants. This PS inhibition was fully antagonized by pretreatment with the 5-HT(1A) antagonist WAY 100635, but only partially with the 5-HT(1B) antagonist GR 127935. These data indicate that the action of the SSRI citalopram on sleep in the mouse is essentially mediated by 5-HT(1A) receptors. Such a mechanism of action provides further support to the clinical strategy of antidepressant augmentation by 5-HT(1A) antagonists, because the latter would also counteract the direct sleep-inhibitory side-effects of SSRIs.

Characterization of 5-HT1A receptor functional coupling in cells expressing the human 5-HT1A receptor as assessed with the cytosensor microphysiometer

The functional activity of a series of 5-HT1A receptor ligands has been evaluated in a cell line expressing the human 5-HT1A receptor (h5-HT1A x CHO) using the agonist-stimulated increase in extracellular acidification rate, measured with the microphysiometer, as a functional assay. Both 5-CT and 8-OH-DPAT were potent agonists in stimulating an increase in extracellular acidification rate in h5-HT1A x CHO cells with estimated EC50 values of 1.2 and 7.8 nM, respectively. Additionally, these two 5-HT1A receptor agonists elicited a similar maximum response. Concentration-dependent agonist activity was also observed in the presence of buspirone, ipsapirone, BMY7378, NAN-190 and WAY100135, and each of these compounds behaved as partial 5-HT1A receptor agonists. The selective 5-HT1A receptor antagonist WAY100635 produced a potent (IC50, 2.3 nM) and complete block of the 8-OH-DPAT-stimulated response. An evaluation of the inhibitory activity of a series of 5-HT1A receptor antagonists produced the following rank order of potency; WAY100635 > LY206130 (IC50, 7.1 nM) > WAY100135 (30.8 nM) > pindolol (76.2 nM) > (-)UH-301 (92.8 nM). Parallel studies on the inhibition of forskolin-stimulated adenylyl cyclase activity in hS-HT1A x CHO cells revealed that agonist potencies were generally similar between the two functional assays and were in good agreement with the estimated 5-HT1A receptor binding affinities. However, the relative efficacies determined for the partial agonists in the cAMP assay were substantially greater than those observed with the microphysiometer. Finally, antagonists were considerably weaker in the cAMP assay compared with the microphysiometer. The evaluation of 5-HT1A ligands using the microphysiometer, which represents a very distinct indice of 5-HT1A receptor function compared with the cAMP assay, results in a different profile of functional activity.

Sleep and EEG power spectrum effects of the 5-HT1A antagonist NAN-190 alone and in combination with citalopram

The sleep and waking and EEG power spectrum effects of the putative 5-HT1A antagonist NAN-190 (0.5 mg/kg, i.p.) were studied alone and in co-administration with the selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitor citalopram (5.0 mg/kg, i.p.) in the rat. Citalopram, as in a prior dose-response study, reduced REM sleep. In addition, a slight increase in NREM sleep was observed. Citalopram reduced NREM fronto-parietal (FP) EEG power density in the 5-20 Hz range. When administered alone, NAN-190 suppressed REM sleep in the first 2 h, and reduced SWS-2 in the first 4 after administration. NAN-190 also suppressed selectively NREM sleep slow-wave activity in both fronto-frontal (FF) and FP EEG power spectrum. When administered in combination with citalopram, an attenuation of the power density reduction in the 7-15 Hz range in the FF EEG of citalopram alone, was observed. However, the EEG power spectral density and REM sleep suppressive effects of NAN-190 were both augmented. The results are compatible with the notion that serotonin is involved in the modulation of the slow wave activity in the EEG during NREM sleep. The results are cordant with other data suggesting that postsynaptic 5-HT1A stimulation might increase slow wave activity in the NREM EEG, and that serotonergic stimulation of other receptor subtypes (possibly 5-HT2) may decrease slow wave activity in the NREM EEG.

Sleep/waking effects following intrathecal administration of the 5-HT(1A) Agonist 8-OH-DPAT alone and in combination with the putative 5-HT(1A) antagonist NAN-190 in rats

Sleep, waking, and EEG power spectra were investigated in rats after intrathecal (IT) administration of a 5-HT(1A) agonist and a 5-HT(1A) antagonist. Total slow wave sleep (TSWS) was increased and waking was decreased over the 8-h recording period after the 5-HT(1A) agonist 8-hydroxy-2-(di-n-propylamino)tetralin (8-OH-DPAT) (38 nmol). Within TSWS, SWS1 was unchanged while SWS-2 tended to be increased. The 5-HT(1A) antagonist 1-[2-Methoxyphenyl)-4-(4-(2-phthalimido)-butyl]piperazine hydrobromide (NAN-190) did not change any sleep/waking stages. Combined treatment with 8-OH-DPAT and NAN-190 increased variance. Following the combination, sleep and waking were not significantly different from control. SWS-2 tended to be reduced compared to the effect of 8-OH-DPAT alone. There were no systematic changes in neither waking nor TSWS fronto-frontal or fronto-parietal EEG power spectrum after any of the treatments, indicating that sleep quality was not changed. The results confirm earlier data suggesting that in the spinal cord, stimulation of 5-HT(1A) receptors have a dampening effect on transmission of sensory information, leading to deactivation and thereby increased sleep tendency. The reason why the 8-OH-DPAT effect was not clearly antagonized by the putative 5-HT1A antagonist NAN-190, may be due to the generally weak antagonistic and also partial agonistic effect of NAN-190 as reported in the literature.

The use of brain slices and dissociated neurones to explore the multiplicity of actions of 5-HT in the central nervous system

The cellular actions of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) on adult and neonatal rat central neurones have been investigated in detail using a combination of in vitro slice and dissociated neurone preparations. Patch-clamp recordings from acutely dissociated adult rat dorsal raphe neurones confirm data obtained using conventional slice preparations that 5-HT activates an inwardly rectifying potassium channel through a 5-HT1A receptor leading to hyperpolarization of the cell. Single-channel recordings indicate that this pathway requires only the involvement of a pertussis toxin-sensitive G-protein. Adult rat facial motoneurones in conventional slices are depolarized by 5-HT through a combination of mechanisms, closure of potassium channels and enhancement of the hyperpolarization-activated, cationic current, IH. Distinct receptors appear to mediate these two actions. Both mechanisms are present in visually indentified neonatal rat facial motoneurones in thin brain slices. Whole-cell patch-clamp recordings show the action of 5-HT on IH to mediate a caesium-sensitive inward current which can be mimicked by the adenylate cyclase activator, forskolin. The experimental data illustrate how a range of complimentary in vitro electrophysiological techniques can be employed to unravel neurotransmitter mechanisms and pharmacology.

The effects of WAY-100135 and 8-hydroxy-2-(di-n-propylamino)tetralin on feeding in the rat

We have examined the effects of the selective 5-HT1A receptor antagonist, WAY-100135, on feeding and on 8-hydroxy-2-(di-n-propylamino)tetralin (8-OH-DPAT)-induced hyperphagia in rats. Given alone, WAY-100135 (1-10 mg/kg s.c.) did not affect the food intake of fasted or satiated rats; however, in free feeding rats, WAY-100135 (3 mg/kg s.c.) significantly attenuated 8-OH-DPAT-induced hyperphagia (0.1 mg/kg s.c.). Using a satiety sequence analysis of feeding behaviour, WAY-100135 (1 mg/kg s.c.) did not affect behaviour per se, but significantly antagonised the increased incidence of feeding, but not the decrease in observations of grooming following 8-OH-DPAT (0.1 mg/kg s.c.). These data provide the first demonstration of the antagonism, by a selective 5-HT1A receptor antagonist, of 8-OH-DPAT-induced feeding; an effect mediated via the somatodendritic 5-HT1A autoreceptor. These results also suggest that 5-HT1A receptor antagonists may have no intrinsic effect on food intake or feeding behaviour.

The novel 5-HT1A receptor antagonist, SDZ 216-525, decreases 5-HT release in rat hippocampus in vivo

1. Recent evidence suggests that the novel compound SDZ 216-525 is a selective and possibly silent 5-HT1A receptor antagonist. Here we have examined the action of SDZ 216-525 on central 5-HT1A autoreceptor function. The experiments involved measurement of drug effects on extracellular 5-HT in the ventral hippocampus of the chloral hydrate anaesthetized rat by use of microdialysis. 2. Acute injection of SDZ 216-525 (0.1, 0.3, 1.0 and 3 mg kg-1, s.c.) caused a dose-related decrease in 5-HT output with an estimated ED50 of at least 0.3 mg kg-1. This ED50 value is 20-30 times greater than ED50 values previously obtained for 8-hydroxy-2-(di-n-propylamino) tetralin (8-OH-DPAT) and NAN-190. In comparison, SDZ 216-525 is reported to have slightly higher affinity for the 5-HT1A site than 8-OH-DPAT and NAN-190. 3. The inhibitory effect of SDZ 216-525 (1 mg kg-1, s.c.) on 5-HT was blocked by the 5-HT1/beta-adrenoceptor antagonist, (-)-pindolol (8 mg kg-1, s.c.) but not by a combination of the beta 1- and beta 2-selective adrenoceptor antagonists metoprolol and ICI 118,551 (4 mg kg-1, each). 4. Although in several experimental models SDZ 216-525 has high affinity, selectivity and lacks intrinsic activity at the 5-HT1A receptor, our experiments show that the drug decreases extracellular 5-HT in ventral hippocampus of the chloral hydrate anaesthetized rat via a pindolol-sensitive mechanism. We conclude that either SDZ 216-525 promotes (with low potency in vivo) 5-HT1A receptor/G-protein interactions, or that the 5-HTlA autoreceptor is a 5-HT1A receptor subtype different from the postsynaptic 5-HT1A receptor.