Phencyclidine-like effect of cyclazocine on pentylentetrazol-induced seizures in laboratory animals

NMDA antagonists: antiepileptic-neuroprotective drugs with diversified neuropharmacological profiles

In conclusion, NMDA antagonists as anticonvulsants are especially active in preventing the generalization of the behavioural and electrical seizures and display a typical spectrum of in vitro antiepileptiform activities. In addition, based on in vitro and in vivo limbic kindled studies, the drugs should be regarded more as an antiepileptiform than as an anticonvulsant drugs. As neuroprotective drugs, NMDA antagonists are effective against many types of neuronal injury and show a window of activity which does not exceed 1-2 h, thus suggesting an influence of NMDA receptors in the 'early' or 'acute' mechanisms of brain damage. Among NMDA antagonists, glycine antagonists or the morphinans dextromethorphan and dextrorphan showed a spectrum of antiepileptiform and neuroprotective activities broader than other NMDA antagonists. The primary pharmacological activities of NMDA antagonists are accompanied by some effects including perturbation of many sensory, psychological or motor processes. Typical behavioural and EEG changes were also induced by the drugs. In spite of the side-effects elicited by the drugs, differential effects detected among the various classes of NMDA antagonists (i.e. lack of induction of typical EEG-behavioural effects and of typical cortical neurotoxicity) might render some of these suitable for full clinical application as anticonvulsant-neuroprotective drugs.

Behavioural and electoencephalographic interactions between haloperidol and PCP/sigma ligands in the rat

Phencyclidine (PCP) and sigma ligands produce a typical excitatory behaviour in rats, characterized by circling and head- and body-weaving. Excitatory amino acid antagonists such as 2-amino 5-phosphonovaleric acid (AP5) or 3-(+/-)-2-carboxypiperazin-4-yl)propyl-l-phosphonic acid (CPP) also produce a PCP-like excitatory behaviour in rats. In the present paper, the interactions between PCP/sigma drugs or excitatory amino acid receptor antagonists and haloperidol have been investigated in rats. In addition, the influence of two other butyrophenones having a different affinity for the sigma/haloperidol receptors, such as spiperone and 3-(4-(3(4-fluorobenzoyl)-propyl-piperazino-l-yl-isoquinolino (HR 375), has been tested on the behavioural and EEG effects of PCP/sigma drugs and excitatory amino acid antagonists. PCP (2.5-5 mg/kg IP), (+) or (-) SKF 10,047 (1-15 mg/kg IP), (+) or (-) cyclazocine (2-8 mg/kg IP) and AP5 (0.5 mumol ICV) dose-dependently and significantly (P less than 0.01) antagonized the haloperidol-induced catalepsy in the horizontal bar and podium tests in rats. On the other hand, either haloperidol (1 mg/kg IP) or spiperone (1 mg/kg IP) reduced the head-weaving induced by (+) SKF 10,047, PCP, or AP5. On the contrary, HR 375 (6 mg/kg IP) was ineffective in blocking the excitatory effects of these drugs. In addition, either haloperidol (1 mg/kg IP) or spiperone (1 mg/kg IP), but not HR 375 (6 mg/kg IP) reduced the amplitude increase of the fast (20-30 Hz) frequency/low (30-50 microV) voltage background cortical activity elicited by PCP or (+) SKF 10,047. The results demonstrate an interaction between dopamine and excitatory amino acid receptors.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Anticonvulsant actions of phencyclidine receptor ligands: correlation with N-methylaspartate antagonism in vivo

1. Drugs with phencyclidine (PCP)-like activity in behavioural discrimination and [3H]PCP binding studies share anticonvulsant properties. 2. We have compared the rank order potency of a series of PCP-like compounds as N-methylaspartate (NMA) antagonists, determined from previously published studies from our laboratory, with their rank order anticonvulsant potencies as determined by two independent research groups in three different in vivo models of experimentally-induced epilepsy. 3. Rank order potency for NMA antagonism correlated well with rank order anticonvulsant potency. Furthermore, the systemic doses required for an effective blockade of NMA-evoked excitations were, in most cases, similar to those which produced anticonvulsant activity. 4. The results suggest that functional NMA antagonism may underlie the shared anticonvulsant properties of structurally dissimilar compounds with PCP-like activity.

Efflux of rubidium in rat cortical synaptosomes is blocked by sigma and dextromethorphan binding site ligands

Large concentrations of potassium were used to stimulate the release of rubidium-86 from preloaded cortical synaptosomes, so that the pharmacological sensitivity of this efflux could be examined. Potassium channel blockers, 4-aminopyridine and tetraethylammonium, inhibited the evoked release of rubidium. Sigma ligands, e.g. pentazocine, cyclazocine, rimcazole, 1,3-di(2-tolyl)guanidine (DTG) and haloperidol, as well as the antitussives, carbetapentane, caramiphen and dextromethorphan, significantly reduced potassium-stimulated efflux of rubidium. By contrast, 3-hydroxyphenyl-propylpiperidine (3-PPP), 5-methyl-10,11-dihydro-5H-dibenzo(a,d)-cyclohepten-5,10-imine (MK-801), phencyclidine (PCP), ketamine and D-2-amino-5-phosphonovalerate (D-AP5) were all inactive. This suggests that inhibition of potassium-stimulated efflux of rubidium is correlated with activity at the sigma and/or dextromethorphan binding sites rather than at the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA)/PCP receptor-channel complex.

Effects of ketamine and (+)cyclazocine on 4-aminopyridine and "magnesium free" epileptogenic activity in hippocampal slices of rats

The effects of ketamine and (+)cyclazocine on three in vitro models of epilepsy: the "Mg2+ free", the 4-aminopyridine (4-AP) and, for comparison, the penicillin model were studied. These data indicate that the two compounds had an inhibitory effect in hippocampal slices of rats, bathed in "Mg2+ free" solution at a concentration that did not influence the basal field potential. They also had an inhibitory effect on the penicillin model, but at concentrations ten times greater than those effective against "Mg2+ free" model. On the other hand, (+)cyclazocine was equally active against epileptogenic activity produced by 4-AP and "Mg2+ free" solution, while ketamine failed to produce an effect on epileptiform activity induced by 4-AP.