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Biomedical subjects

A Frazer

Publications and source records attributed to A Frazer.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1991

Effect of repeated administration of novel stressors on central beta adrenoceptors.

Subtypes of beta adrenoceptors were measured in 17 different areas of brain in rats exposed for 12 days to novel stressors. Mild stress such as individual housing and handling caused no change in beta 1 and beta 2 adrenoceptors in comparison with that measured in rats that were group housed and never handled. Exposure of rats to more severe stressors did reduce significantly the binding of 125I-iodopindolol (125I-IPIN) to beta 1 adrenoceptors, but not beta 2 adrenoceptors, only in the lateral and basolateral nuclei of the amygdala.

Adrenergic beta-Antagonists↗
PubMed1991

Identifying the specific clinical actions of amitriptyline: interrelationships of behaviour, affect and plasma levels in depression.

Despite increasing knowledge of the neurochemical bases of the action of the tricyclic drugs, little is known about the sequence of psychological effects which precede recovery in drug-responsive patients. This research was aimed at identifying the specific behavioural effects associated with the therapeutic action of amitriptyline in depression. The design involved measurement (post-hoc) of weekly changes in a severely depressed placebo-resistant group who recovered with drug treatment, compared with a group of similar patients treated for the equivalent four weeks, who showed minimal to no clinical response. The research strategy, in accordance with a dose-response paradigm, was to determine which of the early changes in emotion and behaviour found in treatment responders were systematically associated with plasma concentrations of amitriptyline or its major metabolite. Amitriptyline was found to act within seven days on the components of anxiety and on hostility in the responders, and on sleep disorder in all patients. After 12 to 14 days of treatment these effects increased, with improvements in other significant components distinguishing the responders from the non-responders. At the 12th to 14th treatment days when a steady state concentration of drug in plasma was approached, reductions in anxiety and hostility and in certain somatic components correlated significantly with plasma concentrations of amitriptyline. Implications of the findings for clarifying the specificity of clinical actions of the tricyclic drugs, and for understanding the psychobiological dynamics underlying rapid drug-induced recovery in depression, were explored.

Affect↗
PubMed1991

Corticosterone and prolactin response to TFMPP in rats during repeated antidepressant administration.

The corticosterone and prolactin response to acute administration of the 5-HT agonist 1-(m-trifluoromethylphenyl) piperazine (TFMPP) (10 mg kg-1) was assessed in rats treated for 10 days with either saline, amitriptyline (20 mg kg-1 day-1) or nialamide (40 mg kg-1 day-1). For all groups, TFMPP significantly increased both serum corticosterone and prolactin concentrations compared with control animals challenged with saline. However, the corticosterone response to TFMPP was attenuated significantly by nialamide pretreatment, while the prolactin response to TFMPP was enhanced significantly by amitriptyline pretreatment. These results support previous reports that antidepressants differentially affect 5-HT-ergic systems involved in the regulation of corticosterone and prolactin secretion.

Amitriptyline↗
PubMed1991

Preferential reduction of binding of 125I-iodopindolol to beta-1 adrenoceptors in the amygdala of rat after antidepressant treatments.

This study utilized quantitative receptor autoradiography to examine the effects of repeated administration of antidepressants to rats on the binding of the beta adrenoceptor antagonist, 125I-iodopindolol (125I-IPIN) to either beta-1 or beta-2 adrenoceptors in various regions of brain. Antidepressants were selected to represent various chemical and pharmacological classes including tricyclic compounds (desipramine and protriptyline), monoamine oxidase inhibitors (clorgyline, phenelzine and tranylcypromine), atypical antidepressants (mianserin and trazodone) and selective inhibitors of the uptake of serotonin (citalopram and sertraline). Additionally, rats were treated with various psychotropic drugs that lack antidepressant efficacy (cocaine, deprenyl, diazepam and haloperidol). Repeated treatment of rats with desipramine, protriptyline, clorgyline, phenelzine, tranylcypromine or mianserin reduced the binding of 125I-IPIN to beta-1 adrenoceptors in many brain areas. Only in the basolateral and lateral nuclei of the amygdala did all six of these antidepressants significantly reduce 125I-IPIN binding to beta-1 adrenoceptors. In these amygdaloid nuclei, the magnitude of the reduction in the binding of 125I-IPIN caused by each of these drugs was comparable to or greater than the reduction in binding produced in any other region of brain. Reductions of binding of 125I-IPIN after antidepressant treatments were not consistently observed in the cortex, the area of brain examined most often in homogenate binding studies. Only the monoamine oxidase inhibitors caused reductions in the binding of 125I-IPIN to beta-2 adrenoceptors, and this effect was generally localized to the amygdala and hypothalamus. Repeated treatment of rats with citalopram, sertraline, or trazodone or with drugs lacking clinical antidepressant efficacy caused no significant effects on the binding of 125I-IPIN to either subtype of beta adrenoceptor in any region of brain. These results demonstrate that amygdaloid beta-1 adrenoceptors are particularly susceptible to regulation by certain antidepressant treatments and implicate the amygdala as an important site of action for antidepressants with pharmacological activity on noradrenergic neurons.

Adrenergic beta-Antagonists↗
PubMed1991

Serotonergic neurons do not influence the regulation of beta adrenoceptors induced by either desipramine or isoproterenol.

It has been suggested that 5-hydroxytryptamine (serotonin)-containing neurons influence the regulation of central beta adrenoceptors caused by antidepressants. [3H]Dihydroalprenolol ( [3H] DHA) was the radioligand used in these previous studies to measure beta adrenoceptors. In this study, we compared the binding characteristics of [3H]DHA with those of [125I]iodopindolol ( [125I]PIN) and used [125I]IPIN to study effects of lesioning serotonergic nerves on the regulation of beta adrenoceptors. A comparison was made in homogenates prepared from rat frontal cortex of the specific binding of [3H]DHA with that of [125I]IPIN to beta adrenoceptors. Nonlinear regression analysis of saturation experiments of [3H]DHA binding to cortical homogenates indicated that a two-component binding model fit the data significantly better than a one-component model. A dissociation constant value of 0.47 +/- 0.16 nM and a Bmax value of 62 +/- 7 fmol/mg protein were obtained for the high-affinity site. The low-affinity site was poorly defined. Rosenthal transformations of the saturation isotherms for [3H]DHA binding were clearly curvilinear. By contrast, nonlinear regression analysis of saturation experiments of the binding of [125I]IPIN indicated that the binding of this radioligand was described adequately by a one-component model and yielded a dissociation constant value of 147 +/- 10 pM with a Bmax of 80 +/- 5 fmol/mg protein. Rosenthal transformations of the [125I]IPIN data were linear. From such data, it was inferred that [3H]DHA binds to some site in addition to beta adrenoceptors, whereas [125I]IPIN does not.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

5,7-Dihydroxytryptamine↗
PubMed1991

A quantitative autoradiographic study of serotonin1A receptor regulation. Effect of 5,7-dihydroxytryptamine and antidepressant treatments.

There have been few studies investigating the effect of treatments that alter serotonergic neurotransmission on the density of serotonin1A (5-hydroxytryptamine1A [5-HT1A]) receptors, even though lesioning serotonergic neurons has been reported to enhance certain responses thought to be due to activation of 5-HT1A receptors and repeated treatment of rats with different types of antidepressants can diminish 5-HT1A-mediated responses. Consequently, the binding of 3H-8-hydroxy-2-(di-n-propylamino)-tetralin (DPAT) to 5-HT1A receptors in serotonergic cell body and terminal field areas of rat brain was measured by quantitative autoradiography following either the lesioning of serotonergic neurons with 5,7-dihydroxytryptamine (5,7-DHT), or after chronic administration of monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) (clorgyline, phenelzine, or tranylcypromine) or inhibitors of 5-HT uptake (citalopram or sertraline). Treatment of rats with 5,7-DHT did not cause any significant increase in binding of 3H-DPAT to 5-HT1A receptors in any area of the brain examined. There was no significant reduction in the binding of 3H-DPAT in terminal field areas of serotonergic innervation in rats treated with 5,7-DHT except in the CA2/CA3 region of the hippocampus (33% to 35% reduction). In the dorsal and median raphe nuclei, the specific binding of 3H-DPAT was reduced by treatment of rats with 5,7-DHT. In lesioned rats, the binding of 3H-cyanoimipramine (3H-CN-IMI) to uptake sites for serotonin was essentially eliminated in all terminal field areas examined, as well as in the dorsal and median raphe nuclei. Repeated administration of clorgyline, phenelzine, tranylcypromine, citalopram, or sertraline produced an attenuation of the hypothermic response of rats to acute subcutaneous injection of the 5-HT1A-receptor-agonist DPAT. In spite of this change in 5-HT1A responsivity, these treatments caused in the same animals no consistent change in the binding of 3H-DPAT in either serotonergic cell body or terminal field areas. Of the five drugs studied that diminished DPAT-induced hypothermia, only phenelzine and clorgyline significantly reduced the binding of 3H-DPAT, and even then in only a few of the 12 areas of brain measured. As a result of treatment of rats with tranylcypromine there was a significant increase in the binding of 3H-DPAT in the CA2/CA3 region of the hippocampus.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

5,7-Dihydroxytryptamine↗
PubMed1990

[3H]nisoxetine: a new radioligand for norepinephrine uptake sites in brain.

[3H]Nisoxetine binds with high affinity (Kd = 0.7 nM) and selectivity to a homogenous population of sites associated with the uptake of norepinephrine. Specific [3H]nisoxetine binding to rat cortical homogenates was saturable, sodium-dependent and averaged 90% of total binding at its Kd concentration. Pretreatment with the neurotoxin DSP-4 resulted in 95% decrease in binding. [3H]Nisoxetine exhibits superior properties to radioligands previously used and appears to be the radioligand of choice for studies involving uptake sites for norepinephrine.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Lithium distribution in mania: single-dose pharmacokinetics and sympathoadrenal function.

We examined lithium distribution after a single dose of 25 mEq in 14 drug-free manic patients. Lithium concentrations were measured in plasma, red blood cells, and urine. Maximum concentrations of lithium, times at which they were attained, and influx and efflux rate constants for extracellular fluid, red blood cell, and muscle-like compartments were estimated using a three-compartment pharmacokinetic model. Tissue lithium concentrations may continue to increase for hours after plasma lithium concentrations have peaked. Rate constants for absorption, excretion, and influx and efflux for the tissue compartments were similar to those previously reported for normal subjects. Rate constants for transport into and out of the tissue compartments correlated negatively with norepinephrine or epinephrine excretion and positively with the plasma/red cell Na+ gradient. Rate constants for efflux from red blood cell and muscle compartments correlated with measures of adrenocortical function and were higher in dexamethasone nonsuppressors than in suppressors. These data show that distribution of lithium may be related to sympathodrenal activity and Na+ distribution in manic patients.

Adrenal Cortex↗
PubMed1989

Pituitary-adrenal and thyroid effects on melatonin content of the rat pineal gland.

Based on clinical findings of diminished nocturnal serum melatonin levels in affective illness, we hypothesized that alterations in the pituitary-adrenal or thyroid axes of the rat might alter the nocturnal rise of melatonin content of the pineal gland in that species. Two experiments were conducted to investigate these issues. In the first, rats were injected for nine days with adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) or corticosterone, timed to accentuate and prolong the normal circadian corticosterone rise. Although both these treatments produced significant elevations of serum corticosterone, there was no difference in pineal melatonin content during the day or night from that measured in control rats. In the second experiment, hypothyroidism was induced in rats by thyroid-parathyroidectomy, and hyperthyroidism was produced by injection of triiodothyronine (T3) for nine days. Despite clear evidence of metabolic and endocrine effects of these thyroid manipulations, pineal melatonin content was not altered during the day or night. The nocturnal increase of melatonin may have been phase-advanced in the hypothyroid group, although the experiment was not designed to detect such a shift. There thus is no evidence from this study in the rat to suggest that diminished nocturnal melatonin production in affective illness might be due to associated alterations in the pituitary-adrenal or thyroid systems.

Adrenocorticotropic Hormone↗
PubMed1989

Factors contributing to erythrocyte lithium-sodium countertransport activity in lithium-treated bipolar patients.

Clinical and biochemical factors related to the activity of the erythrocyte lithium-sodium countertransport (LSC) system were investigated during lithium prophylaxis in 27 patients (13 male, 14 female) with bipolar affective illness. No relationship was found between erythrocyte LSC and such factors as age, gender, duration of lithium prophylaxis, quality of prophylactic lithium response, and family history of affective illness. There was a significant negative correlation between the activity of LSC and the magnitude of the erythrocyte lithium ratio both in whole group and in female patients. In seven patients with concomitant hypertension, the relationship between high activity of LSC and hypertension was not demonstrated. The levels of total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, triglycerides, and potassium related neither to LSC activity nor to hypertension. Erythrocyte LSC in patients with lower TSH levels were significantly reduced compared to patients with higher TSH. The values of TSH were negatively correlated with T4 but not with T3. Concentrations of T3 were positively correlated with plasma total cholesterol levels. These results are discussed in the view of recent findings on erythrocyte LSC.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Effect of 1-(m-chlorophenyl)piperazine and 1-(m-trifluoromethylphenyl)piperazine on locomotor activity.

The piperazine-type 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) agonists 1-(m-trifluoromethylphenyl)piperazine (TFMPP), 1-(m-chlorophenyl)-piperazine (m-CPP), 1-(p-chlorophenyl)piperazine (p-CPP) and MK-212 [6-chloro-2-(1-piperazinyl)pyrazine], produced a dose-dependent suppression of spontaneous ambulatory behavior in rats. Pretreatment with the 5-HT antagonists metergoline, methysergide or mianserin, but not selective 5-HT2 or catecholamine antagonists, blocked the reduction of activity caused by TFMPP suggesting that the stimulation of 5-HT receptors was involved in causing this behavioral effect. Other behavioral signs of 5-HT receptor stimulation, such as the 5-HT behavioral syndrome or head-shaking behavior, were not observed in rats injected with TFMPP, m-CPP or MK-212 except at toxic doses. The ability of piperazine agonists to reduce locomotor activity in rats was altered by long-term changes in 5-HT neurotransmission. The destruction of 5-HT neurons by i.v.t. injection of the neurotoxin 5,7-dihydroxytryptamine potentiated the ability of m-CPP to inhibit ambulatory behavior. On the other hand, elevating 5-HT content by administering the monoamine oxidase inhibitors phenelzine or nialamide for 7 days reduced the ability of m-CPP to suppress locomotor activity. Acute administration of the monoamine oxidase inhibitors, or chronic administration of other antidepressants such as desmethylimipramine or iprindole, failed to alter m-CPPs activity-suppressant effects. These studies suggest that chronic changes in 5-HT neurotransmission produce compensatory changes which alter the behavioral response to these piperazine agonists. Taken together with other evidence that both TFMPP and m-CPP are agonists at 5-HT1B and 5-HT1C receptors, the effects of TFMPP and m-CPP on locomotor activity may be associated with the selective activation of 5-HT1C, or possibly 5-HT1B, receptors.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

Quantitative autoradiography of serotonin uptake sites in rat brain using [3H]cyanoimipramine.

The binding of [3H]cyanoimipramine to serotonin uptake sites in rat brain slices was studied using quantitative autoradiography. Binding was of high affinity and was to a single class of binding site. This is in contrast to results previously obtained by others with [3H]imipramine where two binding sites were observed. The sites labeled by [3H]cyanoimipramine had properties consistent with this ligand labeling serotonin uptake sites, as: (1) binding is displaced by drugs which are potent inhibitors of serotonin uptake but not by drugs which are weak inhibitors of uptake; (2) binding is dependent on the presence of sodium ions as is the uptake of serotonin; (3) binding is almost completely eliminated in the brains of rats lesioned by the serotonin neurotoxin 5,7-dihydroxytryptamine; (4) the distribution of binding sites throughout the rat brain is highly correlated with that found previously for [3H]indalpine, a potent serotonin uptake inhibitor, and for [3H]imipramine. The properties of binding of [3H]cyanoimipramine make it an ideal ligand for the quantitative autoradiography of serotonin uptake sites.

1-Naphthylamine↗
PubMed1988

Evaluation of mono- and dibenzoyl esters of dopamine as potential pro-drugs for dopamine in the central nervous system.

In this study, two ester pro-drugs of dopamine (DA) were synthesized and evaluated. These derivatives were the monobenzoyl (MBDA) and dibenzoyl (DBDA) esters of DA. MBDA was 300-fold and DBDA was 20,000-fold more lipophilic than DA itself. The half-lives of hydrolysis for MBDA and DBDA at physiologic pH and temperature were 15 and 420 min respectively. These compounds were radiolabelled and their uptake into brain measured. 14C-DBDA penetrated the brain rapidly; 0.28% of the dose injected was taken up per gram of brain tissue at 5 min. However DBDA did not produce measurable increases in DA levels in the brain. 14C-MBDA was found not to penetrate the brain. However, when MBDA was administered intracerebroventricularly (i.c.v.) to rats, it caused DOPAC levels to increase significantly both in the striatum and in the rest of the brain. The increase in the amount of DOPAC measured in the striatum was 3 to 10-fold greater than that seen in the rest of the brain. In rats that were pretreated with the MAO inhibitor, pargyline, MBDA given i.c.v. caused increases in DA levels in both the striatum and in the rest of the brain. The increased DA levels in striatum were considerably greater than those seen in the rest of the brain. From these results, it is inferred that MBDA is being hydrolyzed in vivo in the brain to form DA which is then taken up into dopaminergic neurons.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗
PubMed1988

Effects of prenalterol on beta adrenergic responsiveness and receptors in the cerebral cortex of the rat.

The activity of the beta-adrenoceptor agonist, prenalterol, at beta adrenoceptors in the cerebral cortex of the rat and the effect of chronic intraperitoneal infusion of prenalterol on the biochemical responsiveness and density of cerebral cortical beta adrenoceptors was studied. Whereas isoproterenol caused a four-fold rise in the content of cyclic AMP in slices of cerebral cortex, prenalterol did not produce a significant increase in cyclic AMP. However, prenalterol inhibited the isoproterenol-stimulated increase in cyclic AMP in cortical slices in a concentration-dependent manner. Using an in vivo binding technique, prenalterol (3.8 mg/kg/hr) infused intraperitoneally through osmotic minipumps, penetrated the brain and significantly inhibited the binding of the beta adrenoceptor antagonist, [125I]iodopindolol (125I-IPIN), to cortical beta adrenoceptors. Infusion of prenalterol (3.8 mg/kg/hr) for 7 days resulted in a small (20%), but significant, reduction in the ability of isoproterenol to stimulate maximally the accumulation of cyclic AMP in slices of cerebral cortex. No alteration in the Bmax or KD of the binding of [125I]iodopindolol was observed in homogenates of cortex obtained from prenalterol-treated rats. Furthermore, no change was observed in the binding of the hydrophilic ligand [3H]CGP-12177 in homogenates of cortex. In this study, then, prenalterol exhibited properties in vitro of a beta adrenoceptor antagonist, but did cause modest desensitization of beta adrenoceptor responsiveness when administered continuously in vivo.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

Insulin-induced hypoglycaemic response and release of growth hormone in depressed patients and healthy controls.

As part of the Collaborative Study of the Psychobiology of Depression, we have examined the pretreatment growth hormone response (delta GH) to insulin (0.1 U/kg) and the magnitude of the hypoglycaemic response in a large number of well-defined depressed patients (N = 132) and healthy controls (N = 80). After applying rigorous exclusion criteria, data were analysed from 93 patients and 66 controls for blood glucose response and from 56 patients and 52 controls for delta GH. Depressed patients, either unipolar or bipolar, showed less of a fall in glucose than controls. A weak association was found between the magnitude of the fall in glucose and the severity of depression. No significant differences were found in values for delta GH between the unipolar or bipolar depressed patients and controls either for males, pre-menopausal or post-menopausal females, or the total female group. These data do not support previous claims of a lowered delta GH response to insulin in depressed patients. However, the resistance to hypoglycaemia seen in the depressed patients is consistent with previous reports.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Quantitative autoradiography of central beta adrenoceptor subtypes: comparison of the effects of chronic treatment with desipramine or centrally administered l-isoproterenol.

This study compares the regulation of the subtypes of central beta adrenoceptors produced by treatment of rats with desipramine (10 mg/kg i.p. twice daily for 10 days) to that caused by central infusion of l-isoproterenol (5 micrograms/hr for 7 days). Beta adrenoceptors were measured by quantitative autoradiography of the binding of [125I]iodopindolol ([125I]IPIN) to coronal sections of rat brain as well as the binding of this radioligand to homogenates of certain areas of brain. Administration of desipramine caused significant reductions in the total specific binding of [125I]IPIN in many areas of the brain, including regions of the amygdala, cerebral cortex, hippocampus, hypothalamus and thalamus. This reduction in the total specific binding of [125I]IPIN was primarily the result of a reduction in its binding to beta-1 adrenoceptors in most brain regions. With the exception of the paraventricular nuclei of the thalamus, no desipramine-induced change in the binding of [125I]IPIN to beta-2 adrenoceptors was observed in any region of the brain. Treatment of rats with desipramine did not alter the binding of [125I]IPIN to the caudate putamen, globus pallidus or the cerebellum. Intracerebroventricular fusion of the nonselective beta adrenoceptor agonist, isoproterenol, reduced the maximum binding site density of the binding of [125I]IPIN to homogenates of cerebellum and hypothalamus, but not to homogenates of cerebral cortex. Autoradiography of the binding of [125I]IPIN to brain sections from rats treated with isoproterenol revealed reductions in many subcortical areas and the cerebellum. In contrast to the effects produced by treatment with desipramine, reductions in the binding of [125I]IPIN after infusions of isoproterenol were a result of a decrease in the binding of [125I]IPIN to beta-2 adrenoceptors in most brain regions. Infusion of isoproterenol reduced the binding of [125I]IPIN to beta-2 adrenoceptors in 10 areas of brain in which the binding of the ligand to beta-1 adrenoceptors was not affected significantly. Inasmuch as there is a selective regulation of beta-1 adrenoceptors by the norepinephrine uptake blocker, desipramine, it may be inferred that these receptors are under the influence of endogenous norepinephrine. By contrast, the density of central beta-2 adrenoceptors are regulated more easily by an exogenous beta adrenoceptor agonist, even one like isoproterenol which is a full agonist at both beta-1 and beta-2 adrenoceptors.

Animals↗