Na. Escandon et al., CHARACTERIZATION OF THE SEROTONIN(1A) RECEPTOR ANTAGONIST ACTIVITY OFWAY-100135 AND SPIPERONE, The Journal of pharmacology and experimental therapeutics, 268(1), 1994, pp. 441-447
The effects of the putative serotonin (5-HT)(1A) receptor antagonists
WAY-100135 (WAY) and spiperone on the neuronal activity recorded from
medullary and dorsal raphe 5-HT neurons and the inferior cardiac sympa
thetic nerve were investigated in chloralose anesthetized cats. We als
o determined the effectiveness of WAY and spiperone to antagonize the
sympathoinhibitory effects of the 5-HT1A agonist 8-hydroxy-(2-di-n-pro
pylamino)tetralin (8-OH DPAT). Intravenous administration of both WAY
and spiperone produced a dose-related inhibition of the firing of medu
llary 5-HT neurons. WAY also inhibited firing of serotonergic neurons
in the dorsal raphe nucleus. WAY treatment had no significant effect o
n inferior cardiac sympathetic nerve discharge (SND), whereas spiperon
e treatment caused a small, but significant, increase in SND. WAY trea
tment did not significantly affect 8-OH DPAT-induced inhibition of uni
t firing. Spiperone, however, did display antagonist activity at the p
resynaptic autoreceptor site. WAY and spiperone pretreatments resulted
in significant rightward shifts in the 8-OH DPAT inhibition of SND do
se-response curves and reversed the depressant effects of 8-OH DPAT. T
hese results suggest that WAY and spiperone act as 5-HT1A antagonists
postsynaptically, but WAY appears to have more potent agonist efficacy
at the S-HT1A presynaptic autoreceptor site in the cat. However, beca
use all drugs were administered intravenously, conclusions regarding d
irect effects of WAY and spiperone on 5-HT1A receptors must be made ca
utiously.