Inhibitory influence of dihydroergosine on the aggressiveness of rats and mice

Possible antidepressant dihydroergosine preferentially binds to 5-HT1B receptor sites in the rat hippocampus

The binding affinity of a possible antidepressant drug, dihydroergosine, for various 5-HT1 receptor subtypes was studied in the hippocampal rat brain membranes. Dihydroergosine displaced the binding of [3H]5-HT to the whole population of hippocampal 5-HT1 receptors with high affinity (Ki = 4.8 nM). The displacement curve was shallow and the slope factor less than unity, suggesting the interaction of dihydroergosine with multiple binding sites. When 8-OH-DPAT (100 nM) + chlorpromazine (500 nM), CGS 12066 B (200 nM) + ritanserin (500 nM), and (+/-)pindolol (1 microM) were included to block 5-HT1A + 5-HT1C, 5-HT1B + 5-HT1C, and 5-HT1A + 5-HT1B receptor subtype respectively, the competition studies have shown that under these selective conditions dihydroergosine binds with the highest affinity for 5-HT1B (Ki = 0.48 nM), with 8.7 times lower affinity for 5-HT1A (Ki = 4.2 nM) and with a moderate affinity for 5-HT1C (Ki = 156 nM) receptor subtype. While our previous studies suggested that dihydroergosine stimulates 5-HT1A and inhibits 5-HT2 receptors, this study suggests that the high affinity of this drug for 5-HT1B receptors should not be neglected.

Effect of ergot-alkaloid dihydroergosine on the immune reaction and plasma corticosterone in rats

Ergot-alkaloid dihydroergosine, a potential antidepressive and anxiolytic drug, suppressed humoral and cellular immune reaction in rats, if given in a single injection (2-100 mg/kg) 1 hour after immunization. Plasma corticosterone levels were decreased upon assay of the immune response, 5 or 8 days following treatment.

Dual species dependent effect of dihydroergosine on the convulsions induced by GABA antagonists

The potential antidepressant dihydroergosine enhanced the convulsive properties of picrotoxin and bicuculline in rats and diminished them in mice. The possibility of dihydroergosine modulating species-dependently GABA/benzodiazepine receptors is suggested.

Species dependent dual modulation of the benzodiazepine/GABA receptor chloride channel by dihydroergosine

Dihydroergosine (50 and 100 mg/kg) enhanced the incidence of bicuculline (3 mg/kg)-induced convulsions in female rats, while 100 mg/kg of dihydroergosine given to female mice made 45% convulsive dose of bicuculline (2.5 mg/kg) to be subconvulsive. The same dose of dihydroergosine enhanced in mice the latency of bicuculline (4 mg/kg)-induced convulsions. Although, in in vitro experiments dihydroergosine showed very weak ability to prevent the binding of 3H-muscimol, the drug was able to diminish and to augment the IC50 of bicuculline and GABA when added to crude synaptosomal pellet of the rat and mouse brain respectively. Lower concentrations of dihydroergosine stimulated and higher inhibited 3H-TBOB binding to the crude synaptosomal pellet of the rat brain. In the preparation of mouse brain dihydroergosine produced only inhibition of 3H-TBOB binding. Only slight quantitative differences were observed in bicuculline-induced stimulation and in GABA- and diazepam-induced inhibition of 3H-TBOB binding between the two species. The results suggest that the opposite species-dependent effects of dihydroergosine on bicuculline-induced convulsions are due to the ability of this drug to modulate species-dependently the benzodiazepine/GABA receptor chloride channel complex.