Effect of 5-HT1A receptor-mediated serotonin augmentation on Fos immunoreactivity in rat brain

• Published in: European journal of pharmacology Vol. 455; no. 2-3; pp. 109 - 115
• Main Authors: JONGSMA, Minke E, SEBENS, Jantiena B, BOSKER, Fokko J, KORF, Jakob
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier 29-11-2002
• Subjects: Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Brain - drug effects; Brain - metabolism; Citalopram - pharmacology; Drug Synergism; Immunohistochemistry; Male; Medical sciences; Neuropharmacology; Neurotransmitters. Neurotransmission. Receptors; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Piperazines - pharmacology; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos - biosynthesis; Psychoanaleptics: cns stimulant, antidepressant agent, nootropic agent, mood stabilizer..., (alzheimer disease); Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopharmacology; Pyridines - pharmacology; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Receptors, Serotonin - drug effects; Receptors, Serotonin - physiology; Receptors, Serotonin, 5-HT1; Serotonin - metabolism; Serotonin Antagonists - pharmacology; Serotonin Uptake Inhibitors - pharmacology; Serotoninergic system; Antidepressant; Amygdala; Rat; Psychotropic; WAY 100635; Central nervous system; Limbic system; Hypothalamus; Paraventricular nucleus; Reuptake inhibitor; Citalopram; 5-HT1A Serotonine receptor; Hypothalamic pituitary-adrenal axis; Antidepressant agent; Subcutaneous administration; Mechanism of action; Release; 5-HT1A receptor; Hypothalamohypophysocorticoadrenal axis; Serotonin; Rodentia; Tissue specificity; c-fos; Corpus striatum; Gene expression; Nucleus accumbens; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Neuron; Animal; Neurotransmitter; Brain (vertebrata)
• ISSN: 0014-2999; 1879-0712
• DOI: 10.1016/s0014-2999(02)02583-9

The consequences of pharmacologically evoked augmented serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) release on neuronal activity in the brain, as reflected by the cellular expression of the immediate early gene c-fos, were studied. Wistar rats were treated with saline, the 5-HT reuptake inhibitor citalopram (10 micromol/kg s.c.), the 5-HT(1A) receptor antagonist N-(2-(4-(2-methoxyphenyl)-1-piperazinyl)-N-(2-pyridyl)cyclohexane carboxamine trihydrochloride (WAY 100635, 1 micromol/kg s.c.), or the combination of both drugs. At the given dosages, the combination of the drugs has previously been shown to enhance the cerebral release of 5-HT. Two hours and thirty minutes after administration, the brains were fixated, and Fos protein was histologically stained and quantified. The paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus, the central nucleus amygdala, the ventromedial hypothalamic nucleus, the dorsolateral striatum, and the nucleus accumbens shell were particularly responsive to increased 5-HT release. The results, illustrating the synergistic consequence of the combined drug treatments, are discussed in terms of activity of the limbic-hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical system.