Thomas Glaser

5-HT1A receptor-related anxiolytics

Abstract The brain serotonergic system has been implicated in the psychopathology of anxiety states and in the mechanism of action of the benzodiazepines downstream to the modulation of the GABA receptor/chloride channel complex. Jo¨rg Traber and Thomas Glaser report on the novel anti-anxiety agents buspirone, gepirone and ipsapirone which directly affect the serotonergic system by interacting with the 5-HT 1A subtype of the high affinity 5-HT 1 receptor. Data favor the hypotheses that this type of activity forms an important part of their mechanism of action and that the inhibition of serotonergic impulse flow induced by both the benzodiazepines and the 5-HT 1A receptor ligands may represent an important common pathway leading to their anxiolytic activity.

3H-TVX Q 7821: identification of 5-HT1 binding sites as target for a novel putative anxiolytic

SummaryIn order to clarify the mechanism of action of the putative nonbenzodiazepine anxiolytic TVX Q 7821 [2-(4-(4-(2-pyrimidinyl)-1-piperazinyl)butyl)-1,2-benzisothiazol-3-(2H)one-1,1-dioxidehydrochloride], binding studies with the radio labelled compound were performed.3H-TVX Q 7821 bound apidly, reversibly and in a saturable manner with high affinity to calf brain structures with preference for the hippocampus (KD 1.62 nmol/l;Bmax 320 fmol/mg protein).3H-TVX Q 7821 binding was displaced only by 5-hydroxytryptamine and its agonists and antagonists including spiperone, but was not displaced by a variety of other neurotransmitters and drugs. The 5-HT2 receptor antagonist ketanserin was a weak displacer. The hippocampal binding sites for3H-TVX Q 7821 were pharmacologically very similar to the 5-HT1-binding sites in this region. TVX Q 7821 is likely to be an important tool in research on functional aspects of 5-HT1 binding sites.

Brain serotonin receptors as a target for the putative anxiolytic TVX Q 7821

In animal behavioral tests of anxiolytic efficacy, TVX Q 7821 was active and equipotent with diazepam, but did not produce muscle relaxation or anti-convulsant effects. The high affinity, specific binding of 3H-TVX Q 7821 to calf hippocampal membranes was displaced by serotonin (5-HT) but not by diazepam. Similarly, unlabeled TVX Q 7821 displaced 3H-5-HT but not 3H-flunitrazepam binding. Since ketanserin (a putative 5-HT2 ligand) was equally weak in displacing labeled 5-HT or TVX Q 7821, TVX Q 7821 may preferentially bind to 5-HT1, receptors.

The putative 5-HT1A receptor antagonists NAN-190 and BMY 7378 are partial agonists in the rat dorsal raphe nucleus in vitro

The present electrophysiological study examined the actions of the putative 5-HT1A receptor antagonists NAN-190 (1-(2-methoxyphenyl)-4-[4-(2-phthalimido)butyl]piperazine) and BMY 7378 (8-[2-[4-(2-methoxyphenyl)-1-piperazinyl]ethyl]-8-azaspiro[4,5]- decane-7,9-dione dihydrochloride) in the rat dorsal raphe nucleus in vitro. There was no major difference between the effects of the two drugs on any measure investigated. Both compounds reduced neuronal activity in a concentration-dependent manner, with BMY 7378 being slightly more potent than NAN-190. The threshold concentrations eliciting inhibitory effects were 1 nM for BMY 7378 and 3 nM for NAN-190. Complete inhibition occurred at concentrations close to 30 nM. The effects of the 5-HT1A receptor agonist 8-OH-DPAT (8-hydroxy-2-(di-n-propylamino)tetralin) could be antagonized when concentrations of NAN-190 or BMY 7378 were used that were too low to produce a marked inhibition. At concentrations close to threshold both compounds potentiated the inhibitory effects of 3 nM 8-OH-DPAT. The suppression of neuronal firing induced by NAN-190 and BMY 7378 could be completely antagonized with propranolol, indicating that the inhibitory actions of both drugs were not primarily due to alpha 1-adrenoceptor antagonism. By applying theorems of receptor theory the intrinsic activities for both NAN-190 and BMY 7378 were calculated to be in the range of 0.1-0.3. Thus, NAN-190 and BMY 7378 are partial agonists in the rat dorsal raphe nucleus.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Autoradiographic identification and topographical analyses of high affinity serotonin receptor subtypes as a target for the novel putative anxiolytic TVX Q 7821.

TVX Q 7821 is a putative non-benzodiazepine anxiolytic which has a high affinity to 5-HT1 receptors. In this study some of the binding characteristics of the radiolabeled drug using rat brain cryostat sections and the autoradiographic localization of binding sites using the LKB-Ultrofilm technique have been investigated. Parallel experiments have been performed using [3H]serotonin ( [3H]5-HT). Both [3H]TVX Q 7821 and [3H]5-HT bound specifically and in a saturable manner to tissue sections, the Kd values being 6.8 and 3.7 nmol/l, respectively. Quantitative autoradiography using computer-assisted image analysis revealed a mean inhibition by TVX Q 7821 of [3H]5-HT binding of 56% in many brain areas. The inhibition ranged from 80% in the hippocampus and entorhinal area to practically none in the substantia nigra and the dorsal subiculum. Color coded autoradiograms obtained either with [3H]5-HT or [3H]TVX Q 7821 showed a nearly identical pattern of labeling with high receptor densities in the hippocampus, the entorhinal area, the septum, the interpeduncular nucleus and the dorsal raphe. However, in some brain areas striking differences in the intensity of labeling were found. [3H]5-HT but not [3H]TVX Q 7821 bound strongly in the substantia nigra, the dorsal subiculum and the globus pallidus. It is proposed that TVX Q 7821 binds to a subtype of 5-HT1 receptor (the so-called 5-HT1A sites as recently proposed). Thus, the putative anxiolytic TVX Q 7821 may provide a means for the study of the functional role of 5-HT1 receptors.

5-HT1A Receptors in Anxiety

Brain 5-HT receptors have been classified in at least six subtypes (5-HT1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, 2 AND 3; Peroutka, 1988), among which the 5-HT1A subtype has been the focus of intense research during the last few years. This receptor type is located both presynaptically on the 5-HT cell bodies (somatodendritic receptors), predominantly in the dorsal and median raphe nuclei and postsynaptically, predominantly in the limbic system (Verge et al., 1985; Weissmann-Nanopoulos et al., 1985). Activation of presynaptic 5-HT1A receptors with 5-HT1A ligands inhibits serotonergic neurotransmission (Hamon et al., 1988; Hjorth and Magnusson, 1988; Sharp et al., 1989a, b) and the physiological role of these receptors is probably to provide the brain with an autoinhibitory feedback system controlling 5-HT neurotransmission. At the postsynaptic level, activation of 5-HT1A receptors results in neuronal inhibition, the consequences of which are not well understood (e.g. Sprouse and Aghajanian, 1988; Martin and Mason, 1987).

Quantitative autoradiography of transmitter binding sites with an image analyzer

A computerized image processing system for quantitative receptor autoradiography on tritium-sensitive film is described. The method implements an image analyzer (IBAS 1 + 2) for the acquisition of an image which is evaluated with respect to the regional distribution of binding site densities by a small computer which is connected to a digitizer. Several methodological problems must be considered when using tritium-labelled compounds and an image analyzer. The use of tissue standards and shading procedures, the improvement of signal-to-noise ratio, the calibration of the system which establishes the non-linear relation between grey values and concentration of radioactivity, the contrast enhancement and the quenching problem are discussed. This method permits a quick and precise quantitative analysis of binding site distribution in receptor autoradiography.

Ipsapirone and 8-OH-DPAT reduce ethanol preference in rats: involvement of presynaptic 5-HT1A receptors.

The selective serotonin(5-HT)1A receptor agonists 8-OH-DPAT and ipsapirone were tested in selectively inbred Wistar rats, with high preference [70–90%: defined as the ratio of ethanol (EtOH) to total fluid intake] for EtOH (10% v/v) over water in a two-bottle free choice situation. Rats were injected shortly before the overnight test session (8:00p.m.–8:00a.m.). EtOH and water consumption were determined in 20-min intervals; food consumption after the session. 8-OH-DPAT (ED50: 2.4 mg/kg, SC) and ipsapirone (ED50: 12.5 mg/kg, SC) reduced EtOH preference in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, 8-OH-DPAT increased total fluid intake, whereas ipsapirone enhanced total food intake. The EtOH preference reduction was time-dependent and reached a maximum within the second 4 h after application of 8-OH-DPAT (−73%) and ipsapirone (−72%). The preference reducing effect of ipsapirone (20 mg/kg, PO) was completely blocked by the nonselective 5-HT1A antagonist spiperone (0.05 mg/kg, SC). Local application of 8-OH-DPAT (10 µg, 0.5 µl) into the dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN, a brain area rich in somatodendritic 5-HT1A autoreceptors), reduced the EtOH preference significantly as compared to the saline injection in the same animal (−12%, 8:00–12:00p.m.). Only marginal effects on ingestion behavior were observed after micro-injection into the nucleus accumbens. Reduction of brain 5-HT levels by pretreatment with the 5-HT synthesis inhibitor pCPA (2×150 mg/kg, IP) resulted in a short lasting, marked reduction (−54%) and a long lasting, small attenuation of the EtOH preference. Total food consumption was strongly decreased but returned soon to normal; total fluid intake was only slightly decreased. The EtOH preference reducing effect of ipsapirone (5 and 20 mg/kg, SC) was attenuated in pCPA-pretreated rats. The present data suggest that 5-HT1A receptor ligands reduce EtOH preference via stimulation of 5-HT1A receptors in the DRN. The possibility of additional mechanism(s) is discussed.

Serotonin receptor subtype mediation of the interoceptive discriminative stimuli induced by 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine

Male Wistar rats were trained to discriminate the interoceptive effects of 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine (5-OMe-DMT; 1.25 mg/kg, IP) from saline in a two-lever operant chamber. Following discrimination learning, the following drugs (with ED50 dose in mg/kg IP) dose-dependently generalized: lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD, 0.04), 8-hydroxy-2-(di-n-propylamino) tetralin (8-OH-DPAT, 0.11), 6-methoxy-4-(dipropyl-amino)-1,3,4,5-tetrahydrobenz(c,d)indole hydrochloride (BAY R 1531, 0.15), 5-OMe-DMT itself (0.63), ipsapirone (TVX Q 7821, 2.7), and buspirone (3.8). The potencies of these drugs in generalization tests were best correlated with their binding affinities for the 5-HT1A serotonin receptor subtype (as measured by displacement of 3H-ipsapirone in the hippocampus). Drugs not, or only partially generalizing included quipazine, bufotenin, m-trifluoromethylphenylpiperazine (TFMPP), 5-methoxy-3(1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine-4-yl)-1H-indole succinate (RU 24969), citalopram, clomipramine, 1,4-dihydro-2,6-dimethyl-3-nitro-4(2-trifluoromethylphenyl)-pyridine-5-carboxylate (BAY K 8644), the buspirone metabolite 1-pyrimidinyl-piperazine (1-PP), methysergide, metergoline, and metitepine. Of the last three compounds with antagonistic activity at 5-HT receptors, as well as ketanserin, pizotifen, and ritanserin, only metitepine and pindolol could fully block the 5-OMe-DMT stimulus. Pizotifen blocked the generalization of quipazine fully, that of 5-OMe-DMT only partially, and that of ipsapirone not at all. These data indicate that the 5-HT1A receptor subtype is strongly involved in the transduction of the interoceptive discriminative stimuli induced by 5-OMe-DMT, with 5-HT2 agonism also playing a possible role.

The ontogenetic development of serotonin (5-HT1) receptors in various cortical regions of the rat brain.

SummaryThe distribution of serotonin (5-HT1) receptors in various cortical regions of the rat brain has been examined during ontogenesis by quantitative autoradiography.An increase in binding site density between the first postnatal day and adult age was observed and could be approximated by a sigmoid shaped (logistic) growth curve. A marked heterochrony in the increase of binding site density is found in the 13 analyzed cortical regions. Binding sites develop earlier in neocortex than in allocortical areas. Fifty pereent of the binding site density of adult age is reached in the motor cortex at the 9th postnatal day, followed by the primary somatosensory cortex one day later, by the medial prefrontal cortex on the 12th day, by the fascia dentata on the 14th day and by the CA1-region on the 20th day. A detailed analysis of the frontal, medial prefrontal and hippocampal regions also shows a heterochrony within these regions. Adult values of binding site densities are also reached at different ages in the various cortical regions. The highest receptor densities were observed in the dorsal subiculum, the lowest in the primary somatosensory cortex.