scholarly journals A Three-Way Drug Discrimination Study: A Role for DA-Mediated Effects in MDMA's Discriminative Cue Properties

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Anna-Lena Langen

<p>While 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) shares many similarities with amphetamine, previous two choice drug discrimination procedures have shown that substitution between the two substances is inconsistent. Three choice drug discrimination procedures have revealed that MDMA can be discriminated from amphetamine, due to MDMA’s primary influence in releasing 5-HT. Neurochemical evidence had previously suggested that at doses >3.0mg/kg MDMA-induced dopamine (DA) release will increase significantly. In the current study rats were trained to discriminate MDMA from amphetamine and saline. As the dose of MDMA increased beyond the training dose (>1.5mg/kg) MDMA-appropriate responding decreased, while the proportion of amphetamine lever responding increased and eventually surpassed MDMA-appropriate responding at the highest dose (4.5mg/kg). This would indicate an important role for DA mediated influences in MDMA’s discriminative cue properties. Further evidence for this conclusion comes from tests with the D1 antagonist SCH23390 and the D2 antagonist eticlopride which attenuated this effect and also led to a nonsignificant increase in the proportion of saline lever responding. Subsequent tests with the 5-HT2c antagonist RS102221resulted in no significant dose dependent changes, but appeared to reduce MDMA-appropriate responding especially at the training dose. The current findings would suggest that low doses of MDMA are discriminable from amphetamine, however with increasing doses MDMA will be perceived as more “amphetamine-like”. These findings could suggest that at relatively high doses MDMA produces effects that are typically associated with dopamine-releasing drugs, such as high abuse potential.</p>

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Anna-Lena Langen

<p>While 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) shares many similarities with amphetamine, previous two choice drug discrimination procedures have shown that substitution between the two substances is inconsistent. Three choice drug discrimination procedures have revealed that MDMA can be discriminated from amphetamine, due to MDMA’s primary influence in releasing 5-HT. Neurochemical evidence had previously suggested that at doses >3.0mg/kg MDMA-induced dopamine (DA) release will increase significantly. In the current study rats were trained to discriminate MDMA from amphetamine and saline. As the dose of MDMA increased beyond the training dose (>1.5mg/kg) MDMA-appropriate responding decreased, while the proportion of amphetamine lever responding increased and eventually surpassed MDMA-appropriate responding at the highest dose (4.5mg/kg). This would indicate an important role for DA mediated influences in MDMA’s discriminative cue properties. Further evidence for this conclusion comes from tests with the D1 antagonist SCH23390 and the D2 antagonist eticlopride which attenuated this effect and also led to a nonsignificant increase in the proportion of saline lever responding. Subsequent tests with the 5-HT2c antagonist RS102221resulted in no significant dose dependent changes, but appeared to reduce MDMA-appropriate responding especially at the training dose. The current findings would suggest that low doses of MDMA are discriminable from amphetamine, however with increasing doses MDMA will be perceived as more “amphetamine-like”. These findings could suggest that at relatively high doses MDMA produces effects that are typically associated with dopamine-releasing drugs, such as high abuse potential.</p>


1981 ◽  
Vol 240 (5) ◽  
pp. G376-G380 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. V. Singer ◽  
T. E. Solomon ◽  
H. Rammert ◽  
F. Caspary ◽  
W. Niebel ◽  
...  

In dogs with gastric and pancreatic fistulas, we studied the effect of atropine on the pancreatic secretory response to secretin and intestinal HCl. Atropine sulfate (20 micrograms.kg-1.h-1 iv) significantly depressed basal bicarbonate and protein output. Atropine depressed bicarbonate responses to low doses (62.5, 125, 250, and 500 ng.kg-1.h-1) of secretin but had no significant effect on responses to high doses (1,000 and 2,000 ng.kg-1.h-1). Secretin, with or without atropine, did not stimulate pancreatic protein output above basal. Atropine depressed bicarbonate responses to low loads (3, 6, and 12 mmol.h-1) of HCl but had no significant effect on responses to high loads (12, 24, and 48 mmol.h-1). Intraduodenal HCl produced a dose-dependent increase in protein output. Atropine abolished protein responses to low loads (3 and 6 mmol.h-1) but did not affect responses to high loads (24 and 48 mmol.h-1) of HCl. These findings are compatible with the hypotheses that a) endogenous cholinergic activity augments the pancreatic bicarbonate response to secretin, and b) the pancreatic protein response to intraduodenal HCl is, at least in part, mediated cholinergically.


2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nizar Abd Manan ◽  
Norazlina Mohamed ◽  
Ahmad Nazrun Shuid

Oxidative stress and apoptosis can disrupt the bone formation activity of osteoblasts which can lead to osteoporosis. This study was conducted to investigate the effects ofγ-tocotrienol on lipid peroxidation, antioxidant enzymes activities, and apoptosis of osteoblast exposed to hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). Osteoblasts were treated with 1, 10, and 100 μM ofγ-tocotrienol for 24 hours before being exposed to 490 μM (IC50) H2O2for 2 hours. Results showed thatγ-tocotrienol prevented the malondialdehyde (MDA) elevation induced by H2O2in a dose-dependent manner. As for the antioxidant enzymes assays, all doses ofγ-tocotrienol were able to prevent the reduction in SOD and CAT activities, but only the dose of 1 μM of GTT was able to prevent the reduction in GPx. As for the apoptosis assays,γ-tocotrienol was able to reduce apoptosis at the dose of 1 and 10 μM. However, the dose of 100 μM ofγ-tocotrienol induced an even higher apoptosis than H2O2. In conclusion, low doses ofγ-tocotrienol offered protection for osteoblasts against H2O2toxicity, but itself caused toxicity at the high doses.


Development ◽  
1985 ◽  
Vol 90 (1) ◽  
pp. 139-169
Author(s):  
J. Lee ◽  
C. Tickle

When retinoic acid is locally applied to the anterior margin of developing chick wing buds on ion-exchange beads, dose-dependent changes in the skeletal pattern result. At low doses, additional digits develop. At high doses, there is thinning of the symmetrical wing. Local application of retinoic acid to the apex of the bud also leads to pattern changes, but in contrast normal wing patterns are almost always obtained following application posteriorly. These effects are manifest at 6–7 days after the operation although only a brief exposure (14–20 h) to retinoic acid is required. Therefore the morphology of wing buds was studied at shorter times after the start of treatment. The local application of retinoic acid to the wing bud margin leads to changes in extent of the apical ridge that can be detected at 24 h after application. The behaviour of the apical ridge with varying doses and positions of retinoic acid application has been analysed quantitatively and dose response curves obtained. At low doses of retinoic acid, the length of the apical ridge increases or remains constant, but then progressively decreases with higher doses. The progressive obliteration of the ridge starts first near the bead and then involves more distant parts of the bud. Thus the region of the ridge affected depends on the position at which the retinoic acid is applied. We propose that these effects on the apical ridge reflect dose-dependent responses to the local concentration of retinoic acid that varies with distance from the source. At high doses, the apical ridge disappears but at low doses it is maintained. Since grafts of polarizing region tissue also have a graded effect on ridge morphology, a possible interpretation of the retinoic acid effects is that tissue adjacent to the source is converted into polarizing region tissue. Alternatively, retinoic acid may act directly on the ridge cells. The changes in the extent of the apical ridge produced by retinoic acid lead to different forms of bud outgrowth. The form of the outgrowth depends on the dose of retinoic acid, the position of application and the interaction between the effects of the local source of retinoic acid and those of the polarizing region of the host bud. These considerations give some insights into why anterior application of retinoic acid leads to the development of additional digits whereas posterior application generally gives normal wings.


Development ◽  
1997 ◽  
Vol 124 (12) ◽  
pp. 2477-2488 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.K. Knecht ◽  
R.M. Harland

We have investigated mechanisms of dorsal-ventral patterning of neural tissue, using Xenopus ectoderm neuralized by noggin protein. This tissue appears to be patterned dorsoventrally; cp1-1, a gene expressed in the dorsal brain, and etr-1, a gene largely excluded from the dorsal brain, are expressed in separate territories in noggin-treated explants (Knecht, A. K., Good, P. J., Dawid, I. B. and Harland, R. M. (1995) Development 121, 1927–1936). Here we show further evidence that this pattern represents a partial dorsal-ventral organization. Additionally, we test two mechanisms that could account for this pattern: a dose-dependent response to a gradient of noggin protein within the explant, and regulative cell-cell interactions. We show that noggin exhibits concentration-dependent effects, inducing cp1-1 at low doses but repressing it at high doses. Since noggin acts by antagonizing Bone Morphogenetic Protein (BMP) signaling, this result suggests that BMPs also may act in a dose-dependent manner in vivo. However, in the absence of a noggin gradient, regulative cell-cell interactions can also pattern the tissue. Such regulation is facilitated by increased motility of noggin-treated cells. Finally, the response of cells to both of these patterning mechanisms is ultimately controlled by a third process, the changing competence of the responding tissue.


1987 ◽  
Vol 65 (5) ◽  
pp. 842-846 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter W. Kujtan ◽  
Peter L. Carlen

The dose-dependent effects of phencyclidine were examined in guinea pig hippocampal slices using intracellular and extracellular recordings. Orthodromically evoked population potentials from the CA1 cell body layer were enhanced by low doses (0.2–0.4 μM) and depressed by high doses (0.01–10 mM). Medium doses of the drug (2.0–10.0 μM) showed little effect. Intracellular recordings from CA1 pyramidal neurons gave similar dose-dependent results. Low doses increased spontaneous firing rates and caused silent cells to fire. Medium doses both increased and decreased firing rates, whereas high doses depressed firing rates. Large transient depolarizing shifts were seen in some phencyclidine-treated cells at medium and high doses. Phencyclidine effects took 15–30 min to develop and were only partially reversible after a washout of up to 1 h.


1987 ◽  
Author(s):  
C Cordova ◽  
F Violi ◽  
D Praticò ◽  
A Ghiselli ◽  
C Alessandri ◽  
...  

Low doses of aspirin (20 mg/day) were previously reported to be uneffective in preventing platelet aggregation (PA) induced by pairs of aggregating agents such as PAF and adrenalin.This was in part attributed to the inability of such treatment to inhibit lipo oxygenase-dependent PA.The latter can be observed in vitro in"aspl rinated"platelets stimulated with high quantities of aggregating -agents.The aim of this study was to evaluate if the lipooxygenase-dependent PA was influenced by aspirin in a dose-dependent fashion. PA was studied in platelet rich plasma (PRP)(Born's method) by using threshold doses of aggregating agents (TDA) such as PAF(4-75 nM),epinephrine(0.6-2 μM) and collagen(2-4 μg/ml).PA performed in PRP pretrated with 100μM aspirin was fully prevented;in the same samples thromboxane (Tx) A2 evaluated by its metabolite Tx B2 was almost absent.Increasing amount of PAF(20 fold TDA),epinephrine(20 fold TDA) and collagen (36 fold TDA) do aggregate"aspirinated"pla telets;similarly"aspirinated"platelets aggregate when stimulated-with a pair of aggregating agents (TDA of PAF+epinephrine).This phenomenon was not detected if platelets were incubated with higher amounts of aspirin (250-500 μM).The study suggests that aspirin could influence lipooxygenase-dependent PA.This hypothesis is sup ported by a research showing the aspirin inhibits dose-dependently platelet HETE formation.A further study is now in progress to eva luate the influence of high doses of aspirin on cyclooxygenase-i"n dependent PA in vivo.


1981 ◽  
Vol 67 (5) ◽  
pp. 461-472 ◽  
Author(s):  
Enrico Solcia ◽  
Luciano Ballerini ◽  
Ornella Bellini ◽  
Umberto Magrini ◽  
Cesare Bertazzoli ◽  
...  

Heart lesions induced in mice, rats, rabbits and dogs by Doxorubicin administered i.v. according to various schedules were studied by light and electron microscopy. Vacuolization of myocardial cytoplasm due to distention of the sarcoplasmic reticulum, the T-tubule system and the Golgi vesicles was one of the most common findings. Myocytolysis, clumping and loss of fibrils, fragmentation of sarcomeres, swelling of mitochondria and an increase in lysosomes and residual bodies were also observed. The severity of the cardiomyopathy, quantitatively evaluated by a score system, proved to be dose-dependent. Cardiomyopathy was more severe when the treatment was given in a short period by administration of high doses than when the same cumulative dose was administered as low doses repeated for a long period. The left atrium was more severely affected than the ventricles when high doses were given, whereas it was less affected in animals given low doses. The cardiomyopathy was less severe in animals receiving the same dose in a high volume of solvent and during a long perfusion time. Threshold doses were needed both to induce the cardiomyopathy and to establish it as a progressive disease.


CNS Spectrums ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 14 (10) ◽  
pp. 536-546 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen M. Stahl

Multifunctional drugs are those with more than one therapeutic mechanism. Trazodone is a multifunctional drug with dose-dependent pharmacologic actions. That is, it has hypnotic actions at low doses due to blockade of 5-HT2A receptors, as well as H1 histamine receptors and α1 adrenergic receptors. Higher doses recruit the blockade of the serotonin transporter (SERT) and turn trazodone into an antidepressant. Although trazodone has traditionally been used as a low dose hypnotic, a new controlled release formulation that has the potential to improve the tolerability of high doses may provide an opportunity to revisit this multifunctional drug as an antidepressant as well.


1989 ◽  
Vol 61 (03) ◽  
pp. 463-467 ◽  
Author(s):  
G M Smith

SummaryIn this study, 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) caused a dose- dependent fall in the circulating platelet count suggesting that 5-HT receptors are activated in rat platelets to cause platelet adhesion and aggregation. When low doses of adenosine diphosphate (ADP) were simultaneously injected with 5-HT, there was a significant potentiation of the responses to ADR Ketanserin significantly reduced the potentiated responses. When higher doses of ADP were infused with bolus injections of 5-HT there was no potentiation and ketanserin did not reduce these responses. Ketanserin did not inhibit the collagen-induced fall in circulating platelet count, but did significantly increase the rate of return to the basal platelet count compared with control. 5-HT did not cause a fall in platelet count in guinea-pigs


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