Does homocarnosine mediate the dyskinetic movements induced by gaba-transaminase inhibitors.

Unilateral application of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) antagonists on the motor cortex of conscious rats produces myoclonic movements. Paradoxically, the same behaviour can be observed with high concentrations of some GABA-transaminase (GABA-T) inhibitors. Since the GABA conjugate homocarnosine is increased in the brain following GABA-T inhibition and since homocarnosine is known to displace [3H]-GABA from its binding sites at high concentration, we investigated whether homocarnosine might explain the dyskinetic movements produced by these GABA-T inhibitors. We found that homocarnosine produces dyskinesia similar to that observed with GABA antagonists and GABA-T inhibitors when applied directly to the cortex. However, this property of homocarnosine is unlikely to be the basis of the dyskinetic effect of GABA-T inhibitors since we found no relationship between brain homocarnosine levels and the appearance of abnormal movements following GABA-T inhibition.

The effects of chronic treatment with amitriptyline and MDL 72394 on the control of 5-HT release in vivo.

The purpose of the experiments reported were to determine whether chronic treatment with either a monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitor or an uptake inhibitor would increase extracellular levels of 5-HT in vivo and whether such treatment resulted in a down-regulation of the 5-HT1B-mediated decrease in extracellular levels of 5-HT. Rats were given either saline, (E)-beta-fluoromethyline-m-tyrosine (MDL 72394 0.25 mg/kg p.o.) or amitriptyline (10 mg/kg p.o.) once a day for 21 days. Twenty-four hr after the final injection, dialysis loops were implanted into the frontal cortices of these rats and basal extracellular levels of 5-HT were measured. The effect of the 5-HT1 receptor agonist 5-methoxy-3(1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridin-4-yl)1H indole succinate (RU 24969 10 mg/kg i.p.) on the extracellular level of 5-HT was then studied. Basal levels of 5-HT in saline-treated rats was found to be 27.9 +/- 3.9 fmol/20 microliters perfusate. Chronic treatment with amitriptyline had no effect on extracellular levels of 5-HT but chronic treatment with MDL 72394 significantly increased extracellular levels of 5-HT. Chronic treatment with either MDL 72394 or amitriptyline had no significant effect on the ability of RU 24969 to reduce extracellular levels of 5-HT. These results suggest that 5-HT1B receptors are not down-regulated in response to chronically raised extracellular levels of 5-HT.

Enzyme-activated irreversible inhibitors of monoamine oxidase: phenylallylamine structure-activity relationships.

Seventeen 2-aryl-3-haloallylamine derivatives were prepared and evaluated as inhibitors of monoamine oxidase (MAO, EC 1.4.3.4). The synthesis of these compounds was achieved from either alpha-methylstyrene or ring-substituted phenylacetic acid derivatives. With one exception, these 2-arylallylamines were found to be enzyme-activated, irreversible inhibitors of MAO. The most potent inhibitors were ring-substituted derivatives of (E)-2-phenyl-3-fluoroallylamine with IC50 values ranging from 10(-6) to 10(-8) M. Selectivity for the A and B form of MAO was found to depend on the nature of aromatic ring substitution. In general, hydroxyl substitution favored the inactivation of the A form of MAO, while very selective B inhibitors were obtained when the aromatic ring was substituted with a 4-methoxy group. (E)-2-(4-Methoxyphenyl)-3-fluoroallylamine and (E)-2-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)-3-fluoroallylamine proved to be in vitro as selective for the B form of MAO as deprenyl.

Selective inhibition of monoamine oxidase type B by MDL 72145 increases the central effects of L-dopa without modifying its cardiovascular effects.

The potential of a new, potent, irreversible and selective inhibitor of monoamine oxidase type B, (E)-2-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)-3-fluorallyamine (MDL 72145), to augment the effects of L-DOPA in an animal model which reproduces the biochemical defect of Parkinson's disease has been evaluated. In rats bearing unilateral 6-hydroxydopamine lesions of the nigro-striatal dopamine pathways, both MDL 72145 and clorgyline, a selective inhibitor of MAO A, augmented the contralateral turning response to L-DOPA combined with carbidopa. The potential of inhibitors of MAO to interact adversely in the periphery with L-DOPA was investigated in the pithed rat; L-DOPA was given either intravenously or intraduodenally. Clorgyline consistently potentiated L-DOPA when given 18 h before testing. Neither MDL 72145 nor the selective inhibitor of MAO B, L-deprenyl, augmented the cardiovascular effects of intraduodenally administered L-DOPA. The data provide no reason to suppose that MDL 72145 would be very different in clinical use from L-deprenyl which is both effective and well-tolerated as an adjunct to the L-DOPA-based therapy of Parkinson's disease.

BRL 13776: a novel antihypertensive agent with interesting monoamine depleting properties.

1. Oral doses of 10-100 mg/kg of BRL 13776 lowered the blood pressure of both deoxycorticosterone acetate (DOCA)/NaCl-treated hypertensive rats and untreated normotensive rats. 2. BRL 13776 (100 mg/kg, orally) also reduced the blood pressure of renal hypertensive cats (cellophane perinephritis model). 3. No tolerance developed to the blood-pressure lowering action of BRL 13776 when an oral daily dose of 100 mg/kg was administered repeatedly for up to 15 days to hypertensive rats and cats. 4. The fall in blood pressure to BRL 13776 in rats was associated with a reduction of tissue catecholamines. 5. The catecholamine depletion occurred in all the peripheral tissues examined but in the brain was restricted to certain regions, these being the hind-brain on single dosing and the hind-brain, hypothalamus and mid-brain on repeated dosing. Catecholamine levels in the cerebral hemispheres were not affected by either single or repeated doses of BRL 13776. 6. BRL 13776 caused some reduction of the 5-hydroxytryptamine content of the heart but not of whole brain or any brain region. 7. Neither single doses (up to 900 mg/kg orally) nor repeated doses (100-300 mg/kg orally) of BRL 13776 produced any significant behavioural effects in animals. 8. BRL 13776 is a new type of agent to display both antihypertensive and monoamine-depleting properties. The reduction of noradrenaline in certain brain regions may be a cause of the antihypertensive response but depletion in the periphery could contribute in a major or minor way. The differential action on noradrenaline in the brain together with the lack of effect on 5-hydroxytryptamine might also explain the apparent absence of behavioural effects.

Relationship between extracellular 5-hydroxytryptamine and behaviour following monoamine oxidase inhibition and L-tryptophan.

1. The present study investigates the effects of selective and a non-selective monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitors combined with L-tryptophan on MAO-A and -B activity, hypothalamic extracellular 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) in vivo and the occurrence of the 5-HT behavioural syndrome. 2. Selective inhibition of intraneuronal MAO-A with MDL 72394 (0.5 mg kg-1, i.p.) had no effect on extracellular 5-HT and following administration of L-tryptophan (50 mg kg-1, i.p.) the 5-HT behavioural syndrome was not induced. 3. Selective inhibition of MAO-A at all sites with clorgyline (5 mg kg-1, i.p.) increased extracellular 5-HT but did not induce the 5-HT behavioural syndrome when combined with L-tryptophan administration. 4. Selective inhibition of MAO-B with selegiline (10 mg kg-1, i.p.) had no effect on extracellular 5-HT and the 5-HT behavioural syndrome was not observed after L-tryptophan administration. 5. Inhibition of MAO-A and -B with a higher and therefore non-selective, dose of MDL 72394 (2 mg kg-1) markedly increased extracellular 5-HT but failed to induce the 5-HT behavioural syndrome after L-tryptophan administration. 6. Inhibition of MAO-A and -B at all sites in the brain (tranylcypromine 20 mg kg-1, i.p. or clorgyline 5 mg kg-1 plus selegiline 10 mg kg-1) increased extracellular 5-HT and induced the behavioural syndrome on administration of L-tryptophan. 7. The results demonstrate that inhibition of MAO-A and -B both within amine neurones and elsewhere in the brain is essential for the development of the 5-HT behavioural syndrome. Whilst the syndrome is associated with increased extracellular 5-HT this does not appear necessarily to result in the syndrome and may indicate that increased extracellular 5-HT is not solely involved in the induction of the '5-HT behavioural syndrome'. Whilst the syndrome is associated with increased extracellular 5-HT this does not appear necessarily to result in the syndrome and may indicate that increased extracellular 5-HT is not solely involved in the induction of the '5-HT behavioural syndrome'.

Further studies on the inhibition of monoamine synthesis by monofluoromethyldopa.

1 alpha-Monofluoromethyldopa (MFMD, RMI 71963), a potent and selective enzyme-activated irreversible inhibitor of aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase produces a substantial and long-lasting decrease in the catecholamine content of mouse brain, heart and kidney. 2 Single doses of MFMD reduce the 5-hydroxytryptamine concentration of mouse brain without altering the tryptophan concentration. 3 In animals treated with MFMD, peripheral but not brain noradrenaline is restored within 1 h to control levels by an intraperitoneal injection of dopamine.

Inhibition of rat aorta semicarbazide-sensitive amine oxidase by 2-phenyl-3-haloallylamines and related compounds.

The inhibition of semicarbazide-sensitive amine oxidase (SSAO) in rat aorta homogenates by some 2-phenyl-3-haloallylamines has been studied. Derivatives containing a fluorine atom were approximately three times more potent than the corresponding 3-chloroallylamines. These halogen-containing compounds were irreversible inhibitors of SSAO after preincubation with aorta homogenates; kinetic evidence for an initial competitive, reversible interaction (Ki around 0.4-0.6 microM) was found with two compounds (MDL 72145 and 72274). A similar Ki (approx. 0.7 microM) was obtained with 2-phenylallylamine (MDL 72200). However, this compound which lacks a halogen atom was a reversible inhibitor, even after preincubation. The use of a spectrophotometric assay to measure H2O2 production from amine metabolism demonstrated that MDL 72200 was a substrate (Km = 1.4 microM) for SSAO, with a Vmax approximately five times smaller than that of benzylamine (Km = 8.1 microM). Of particular interest in this study is the finding that (E)-2-phenyl-3-chloroallylamine (MDL 72274) is highly selective as an inhibitor of SSAO, compared with MAO-A or B activities, and may be a useful compound for investigating the importance of SSAO in animal tissues.

Lactamimides: a novel chemical class of calcium antagonists with diltiazem-like properties.

The effects of a series of lactamimides on [3H]d-cis-diltiazem binding to rat brain membranes, on [3H]nitrendipine binding to cardiac membranes, and on calcium-induced contractions in depolarized guinea pig taenia and ileum preparations were examined. Several of the lactamimides examined displaced [3H]d-cis-diltiazem binding and antagonized, in a competitive fashion, calcium-induced contractions. Over the series of lactamimides, there was a highly significant, positive linear correlation (r = 0.87, P less than 0.001) between their potency to displace [3H]d-cis-diltiazem and their potency to antagonize calcium-induced contractions in the depolarized taenia and ileum preparations. Of the lactamimides examined, MDL 16,582A [N-(2,2-diphenylpentyl)azacyclotridecan-2-imine. hydrochloride] had potency equivalent to d-cis-diltiazem with pA2 values of 7.27 and 7.38, respectively, against calcium-induced contractions in the guinea pig ileum. These lactamimides are a novel chemical class displaying diltiazem-like calcium antagonist properties.

Chronic elevation of brain GABA by gamma-vinyl GABA treatment does not alter the sensitivity of GABAergic or dopaminergic receptors in rat CNS.

Rat brain GABA levels were elevated chronically by daily administration of gamma-vinyl GABA, an enzyme-activated, irreversible inhibitor of GABA:2-oxo-glutarate aminotransferase (GABA-T; EC2.6.1.19). Following various periods of drug treatment and withdrawal, the sensitivity of dopamine and GABA receptors in the CNS was determined by biochemical and behavioral evaluations. In contrast to chronic haloperidol treatment, none of the treatment schedules with gamma-vinyl GABA had any significant effect on parameters such as apomorphine induced locomotor activity, [3H] spiperone binding or dopamine-stimulated adenylate cyclase in the corpus striatum; nor did gamma-vinyl GABA treatment affect [3H] GABA binding or GABA-activated [3H] diazepam binding in the cerebral cortex. Moreover, co-administration of gamma-vinyl GABA and haloperidol did not alter the ability of the neuroleptic to induce supersensitivity in the striatal dopaminergic system. Thus, it appears that, in contrast to reported studies using chronic administration of other less specific GABA-T inhibitors such as gamma-acetylenic GABA, amino-oxyacetic acid and isonicotinic acid hydrazide or direct GABA agonists such as THIP (4,5,6,7-tetrahydroisoxazolo (5,4-c-)-pyridin-3-ol) or kojic amine, gamma-vinyl GABA does not alter the sensitivity of the striatal dopaminergic system.

Electrophysiological, biochemical and behavioral evidence for 5-HT2 and 5-HT3 mediated control of dopaminergic function.

Several lines of evidence have suggested a link between serotonergic and dopaminergic systems in the brain. The interpretation of much of these early data needs careful reevaluation in light of the recent understanding of the plethora of serotonin receptor subtypes, their distribution in the brain and the new findings with more selective serotonin antagonists. Electrophysiological, biochemical and behavioral evidence obtained using highly selective antagonists of the 5-HT2 or 5-HT3 receptor subtypes, MDL 100,907 or MDL 73,147EF, respectively, supports the thesis that serotonin modulates the dopaminergic system. This modulation is most evident when the dopaminergic system has been activated.

Effect of acute and chronic MDL 73,147EF, a 5-HT3 receptor antagonist, on A9 and A10 dopamine neurons.

MDL 73,147EF (1H-indole-3-carboxylic acid-trans-octahydro-3-oxo-2,6- methano-2H-quinolizin-8-yl-ester methanesulphonate) is a potent and selective 5-HT3 receptor antagonist (pA2 9.8, rabbit heart; pIC50 less than 5, D-2 receptor). The effects of acutely and chronically administered haloperidol and MDL 73,147EF were compared in an electrophysiologic model for antipsychotic activity. Haloperidol, but not MDL 73,147EF, given acutely increased the number of active dopamine neurons in the substantia nigra (A9). Both haloperidol and MDL 73,147EF, given chronically, decreased the number of active ventral tegmental dopamine neurons and the number of active A9 dopamine neurons. The results indicate that MDL 73,147EF may prove useful as an antipsychotic with a unique mechanism of action.

The effect of gamma-acetylenic GABA, an enzyme-activated irreversible inhibitor of GABA-transaminase, on dopamine pathways of the extrapyramidal and limbic systems.

gamma-Acetylenic GABA (100 mg/kg i.p.) inhibited GABA-transaminase activity and caused a several-fold increase in the concentration of GABA in rat brain. This increased GABA concentration was associated with a decreased rate of dopamine depletion following alpha-methyl-p-tyrosine treatment and a decrease in homovanillic acid in extrapyramidal and limbic structures suggesting a decrease in dopamine turnover in both pathways. In addition, gamma-acetylenic GABA injected into the ventral mesencephalic tegmentum decreased dopamine turnover in the mesolimbic forebrain. These results are consistent with a modulatory function of GABAergic neurons on extrapyramidal and limbic dopamine pathways. Inhibitory effects on dopaminergic functions of the extrapyramidal and limbic systems were also indicated by the amphetamine and apomorphine-induced ipsilateral turning after unilateral substantia nigral injections of gamma-acetylenic GABA and by the attenuation of dopamine-induced hypermotility after bilateral injections of gamma-acetylenic GABA into the nucleus accumbens.

An analysis of the cortical and striatal involvement in dyskinesia induced in rats by intracerebral injection of GABA-transaminase inhibitors and picrotoxin.

Unilateral intrastriatal injection of various substances induces a characteristic dyskinetic syndrome in rats. These substances include picrotoxin as well as a series of irreversible GABA-transaminase inhibitors. Using the degree of enzyme inhibition in various brain areas as a measure of drug distribution following intrastriatal administration of gamma-acetylenic GABA and gamma-vinyl GABA, there was found considerable retrodiffusion via the needle tract to the overlying cortex. Topical application of gamma-acetylenic GABA and gamma-vinyl GABA to the cortical surface overlying the striatum produced a high incidence of identical dyskinesias without any evidence of diffusion of drugs to the striatum. The cortically induced movements could be duplicated by picrotoxin application to a defined cortical area. These findings suggest that interference with gabaergic function in the striatum is not necessary for the production of the dyskinetic syndrome and that this syndrome may be a cortically induced phenomenon.

Chronic MAO A and MAO B inhibition decreases the 5-HT1A receptor-mediated inhibition of forskolin-stimulated adenylate cyclase.

The effect of chronic administration of various monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitors on the ability of 8-hydroxy-2-(di-n-propylamino)tetralin (8-OH-DPAT) to inhibit forskolin-stimulated adenylate cyclase activity was studied. Groups of 12 rats were given either saline, (E)-beta-fluoromethylene-m-tyrosine (MDL 72394 0.25 mg/kg p.o.), clorgyline (1 mg/kg p.o.), selegiline (1 mg/kg p.o.) or tranylcypromine (5 mg/kg p.o.) once a day for 21 days. Biochemical determinations were made 72 h after the final dose. MDL 72394 and tranylcypromine produced a nonselective inhibition of MAO but clorgyline and selegiline selectively inhibited MAO A and MAO B respectively. All treatments that inhibited MAO A also increased tissue levels of 5-HT. Chronic treatment with MDL 72394, clorgyline or tranylcypromine reduced the ability of 8-OH-DPAT to inhibit forskolin-stimulated adenylate cyclase activity. These data suggest that chronic nonselective and chronic MAO A inhibition causes a down-regulation of the 5-HT1A-mediated inhibition of forskolin-stimulated adenylate cyclase activity.

BRL 8242 (2-[2-benzimidazolyl]-amino-2-imidazoline dihydrochloride), a new inhibitor of dopamine-beta-hydroxylase with antihypertensive activity.

BRL 8242 (2-[2-benzimidazolyl]-amino-2-imidazoline dihydrochloride) was found to inhibit dopamine-beta-hydroxylase in vitro and in vivo and to have antihypertensive activity. The effect on dopamine-beta-hydroxylase in vitro was shown by inhibition of the conversion of phenylethylamine to phenylethanolamine, using enzyme extracted from rat adrenals. In vivo, BRL 8242 inhibited 3H-noradrenaline but not 3H-dopamine biosynthesis from 3H-L-dopa in rat brain. Furthermore, the compound lowered endogenous noradrenaline levels in both rat brain and heart whilst increasing the concentration of brain dopamine. In both metacorticoid hypertensive and normotensive rats, BRL 8242 lowered blood pressure. This response was dose related and correlated well with the reduction of endogenous noradrenaline in the tissues examined. It is therefore suggested that the inhibition of dopamine-beta-hydroxylase by BRL 8242 may account for its blood pressure lowering activity.

Mapping of dyskinetic movements induced by local application of picrotoxin or (+)-gamma-acetylenic GABA on the rat motor cortex.

Unilateral application of picrotoxin or (+)-gamma-acetylenic GABA ((+)GAG) on the cortex of rats produces a characteristic dyskinetic syndrome. Using stereotaxic coordinates, the cortical localization of these abnormal movements was mapped and found to be similar to that previously described after electrical stimulation of these cortical areas: Abnormal movements of the head and forelimb were produced by picrotoxin of (+)GAG applied to sites more anteriorly and of the hindlimb more posteriorly. The degree enzyme inhibition following application of (+)GAG was used to demonstrate a very limited degree of drug diffusion. These results suggest that interferences with GABAergic function in well-defined cortical areas may play a role in dyskinetic movement disorders.

NMDA receptor complex antagonists have potential anxiolytic effects as measured with separation-induced ultrasonic vocalizations.

Pre-weaning rat pups emit ultrasonic vocalizations when removed from the litter. These 'separation-induced vocalizations' (SIV) are suppressed by classical benzodiazepine anxiolytics and by non-benzodiazepine anxiolytics which lack muscle relaxant and sedative properties. The present study used the SIV model to assess potential anxiolytic properties of compounds which target different sites associated with the NMDA receptor complex. Comparison was made to drugs which affect benzodiazepine or serotonin (5-HT) receptors. Muscle relaxant potential was assessed using 'TIP' (time on an inclined plane), the amount of time a pup was able to retain its position on a steeply inclined surface. Mephenesin, a centrally acting muscle relaxant, significantly suppressed TIP but not SIV. The benzodiazepine agonist diazepam suppressed both SIV and TIP, whereas the 5-HT1A partial agonists, buspirone and MDL 73,005EF, suppressed SIV without affecting TIP. The 5-HT2 antagonist MDL 11,939 suppressed TIP but not SIV, whereas neither measure was affected by the 5-HT3 antagonist MDL 73,147EF. SIV was suppressed by NMDA antagonists including those acting at the glutamate recognition site (D,L-amino-phosphonovaleric acid (AP5) and MDL 100,453) or at the ion channel (MK-801), or by the strychnine-insensitive glycine antagonist 5,7-dichlorokynurenic acid (5,7-DCKA). TIP was suppressed even more potently by AP5, MDL 100,453 and MK-801, whereas 5,7-DCKA was inactive on this measure. Thus, antagonists acting at different sites present on the glutamate recognition site exhibit potential anxiolytic activity, but the glycine antagonist was unusual in its lack of prominent muscle relaxant side effects.

Monoamine receptor sensitivity changes following chronic administration of MDL 72394, a site-directed inhibitor of monoamine oxidase.

(E)-beta-Fluoromethylene-m-tyrosine (MDL 72394) is not per se an inhibitor of monoamine oxidase (MAO) but is a substrate of aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase (AADC) which liberates the potent MAO inhibitor (E)-beta-fluoromethylene-m-tyramine (MDL 72392). When co-administered to animals with the peripherally selective AADC inhibitor, carbidopa, MDL 72394 inhibited MAO selectively in the brain. Chronic (14 days plus 3 days withdrawal) administration of 0.5 mg/kg per day p.o. MDL 72394, 0.1 mg/kg per day p.o. MDL 72394 combined with 10 mg/kg per day p.o. carbidopa or 50 mg/kg per day p.o. pargyline produced equivalent inhibition of rat brain MAO and decreased the binding of [3H]clonidine and [3H]RX 781094 to the alpha 2-adrenoceptor and of [3H]dihydroalprenolol to the beta-adrenoceptor without changing binding of [3H]prazosin to the alpha 1-adrenoceptor. The locomotor depressant effect of clonidine was attenuated without attenuation of the hypotensive effect in rats treated chronically with the MAO inhibitors. Neither the sensitivity of the alpha 2-autoreceptor nor of the alpha 2-heteroreceptor was decreased in brain slices. However, the sensitivity of adenylate cyclase to activation by both noradrenaline and isoprenaline was significantly reduced. The number of 5-HT2 and 5-HT1A binding sites was decreased: the 5-HT1B binding sites remained unchanged. The effect of chronic MAO inhibitor treatment on 5-HT1A receptors was associated with a decrease in the behavioural response to 8-hydroxy-2-(di-n-propylamino)tetralin and the decrease in 5-HT2 binding was related to a small reduction in the sensitivity of the inositol phosphate system to stimulation by 5-HT. The lack of effect of chronic MAO treatment on the 5-HT autoreceptor measured in cortical slices corresponded to a lack of effect on the 5-HT1B binding site except that chronic administration of pargyline produced a small but significant decrease in 5-HT autoreceptor sensitivity. Overall, the data show that chronic administration of MDL 72394 has a profile of effects on central monoamine receptor binding and function similar to that seen following chronic administration of a number of clinically effective antidepressants.

[3H]5,7-dichlorokynurenic acid, a novel radioligand labels NMDA receptor-associated glycine binding sites.

A strychnine-insensitive glycine binding site is located on the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA)-preferring glutamate receptor complex. Kynurenic acid analogs are antagonists at this binding site. A derivative of kynurenic acid, 5,7-dichlorokynurenic acid (5,7-DCKA) was radiolabeled with 3H and used to study antagonist binding to the glycine recognition site. This ligand ( [3H]5,7-DCKA) showed high affinity (Kd = 69 nM), saturable (Bmax = 14.5 pmol/mg protein) binding to rat brain membranes. A variety of agonists and antagonists inhibited the binding of [3H]5,7-DCKA and [3H]glycine in a similar fashion (r = 0.93). In addition, glutamate site agonists and antagonists exerted opposite allosteric effects on [3H]5,7-DCKA binding suggesting that [3H]5,7-DCKA preferentially binds to the agonist-activated conformation of the receptor.