Antagonism by olanzapine of dopamine D1, serotonin2, muscarinic, histamine H1 and alpha 1-adrenergic receptors in vitro.

The atypical antipsychotic olanzapine has relatively high affinity for a number of neuronal receptors in radioreceptor binding assays. The ability of olanzapine to activate or antagonize a number of neuronal receptors was investigated in vitro, in cell lines transfected selectively with receptor subtypes and in receptor-selective isolated tissue studies. Olanzapine had no agonist activity at any of the receptors examined. However, olanzapine was a potent antagonist of 5-HT-stimulated increases in IP3 in cell lines transfected with 5-HT2A or 5-HT2B receptors with IC50 values of 30-40 nM. Olanzapine weakly blocked 5-HT-induced formation of IP3 in cell lines transfected with 5-HT2c receptors, but in this cell line potently inhibited 5-HT-stimulated [35S]GTP gamma S binding with a Ki value of 15 nM. Olanzapine blocked dopamine-stimulated adenylyl cyclase in rat retina with modest potency (Ki = 69 nM), consistent with its relatively low affinity for dopamine D1 receptors. Olanzapine blocked agonist-induced activities at the muscarinic receptor subtypes M1, M2, M3, and M5 with Ki values of 70, 622, 126, and 82 nM, respectively. In studies using cell lines transfected with muscarinic M4 receptors, olanzapine and the atypical antipsychotic clozapine did not have agonist activities as determined with cAMP inhibition and stimulation assays, arachidonic acid release and [35S]GTP gamma S binding assays. However, olanzapine antagonized agonist-induced effects in muscarinic M4 cells with a Ki value of 350 nM. In isolated tissue studies, olanzapine potently blocked agonist-induced effects at alpha 1-adrenergic and histamine H1 receptors (KB = 9 and 19 nM, respectively). Thus, olanzapine was an antagonist at all receptors investigated and was a particularly potent antagonist at 5-HT2A, 5-HT2B, 5-HT2C, alpha 1-adrenergic and histamine H1 receptors. Olanzapine was a weaker antagonist at muscarinic and dopamine D1 receptors.

Cholinergic receptor agonists inhibit pirenzepine-induced dysfunction of spontaneous alternation performance in the mouse.

1. The present study was designed to examine the effects of intracerebroventricular injection of several cholinergic drugs on the impairment of spontaneous alternation performance induced by the M1-selective muscarinic receptor antagonist pirenzepine. 2. Pirenzepine (3 and 10 micrograms) significantly reduced spontaneous alteration performance related to working memory without producing any marked increase in total arm entries, which are considered to reflect locomotor activity. 3. Physostigmine (3.47 micrograms), a cholinesterase inhibitor, and McN-A-343 (20 micrograms), and M1-selective muscarinic receptor agonist, significantly improved the pirenzepine (3 micrograms)-induced impairment of spontaneous alternation performance, although oxotremorine (0.68 microgram), a nonselective muscarinic receptor agonist, showed a tendency to reverse the pirenzepine (3 micrograms)-induced impairment. 4. These findings suggest that the blockade of muscarinic M1 but not M2 receptors results in the impairment of spontaneous alternation performance associated with working memory.

Facilitation of memory storage by the acetylcholine M2 muscarinic receptor antagonist AF-DX 116.

Post-training administration of the acetylcholine muscarinic M2 presynaptic receptor antagonist AF-DX 116 (0.1-10.0 mg/kg, ip), facilitated 48 h retention, in male Swiss mice, of a one-trial step-through inhibitory avoidance task. The dose-response curve was an inverted U. AF-DX 116 did not increase the retention latencies of mice that had not received a footshock during training. The influence of AF-DX 116 (1 mg/kg, ip) on retention was time-dependent, which suggests that the drug facilitated memory storage. The memory facilitation induced by AF-DX 116 (1 mg/kg, ip) was prevented by atropine (0.5 mg/kg, ip) administered after training, but 10 min prior to AF-DX 116 treatment. In contrast, neither methylatropine (0.5 mg/kg, ip), a peripherally acting muscarinic receptor blocker, nor mecamylamine (5 mg/kg, ip) or hexamethonium (5 mg/kg, ip), two cholinergic nicotinic receptor antagonists, prevented the effects of post-training AF-DX 116 on retention. Low subeffective doses of the central acting anticholinesterase physostigmine (35 micrograms/kg, ip), administered immediately after training, and AF-DX 116 (0.1 mg/kg, ip), given 10 min after training, acted synergistically to improve retention. The effects of AF-DX 116 (0.1 mg/kg, ip) were not influenced by the peripherally acting anticholinesterase neostigmine (35 micrograms/kg, ip). Considered together, these findings suggest that the activation of a muscarinic cholinergic presynaptic inhibitory mechanism, probably by increasing brain acetylcholine release, may modulate the activity of post-training processes involved in memory storage.

Functionalized congener approach to muscarinic antagonists: analogues of pirenzepine.

The M1-selective muscarinic receptor antagonist pirenzepine 6H-pyrido[2,3-b][1,4]benzodiazepin-6-one) was derivatized to explore points of attachment of functionalized side chains for the synthesis of receptor probes and ligands for affinity chromatography. The analogues prepared were evaluated in competitive binding assays versus [3H]-N-methylscopolamine at four muscarinic receptor subtypes (m1AChR-m4AChR) in membranes from rat heart tissue and transfected A9L cells. 9-(Hydroxymethyl)pirenzepine, 8-(methylthio)pirenzepine, and a series of 8-aminosulfonyl derivatives were synthesized. Several 5-substituted analogues of pirenzepine also were prepared. An alternate series of analogues substituted on the 4-position of the piperazine ring was prepared by reaction of 4-desmethylpirenzepine with various electrophiles. An N-chloroethyl analogue of pirenzepine was shown to form a reactive aziridine species in aqueous buffer yet failed to affinity label muscarinic receptors. Within a series of aminoalkyl analogues, the affinity increased as the length of the alkyl chain increased. Shorter chain analogues were generally much less potent than pirenzepine, and longer analogues (7-10 carbons) were roughly as potent as pirenzepine at m1 receptors, but were nonselective. Depending on the methylene chain length, acylation or alkyl substitution of the terminal amine also influenced the affinity at muscarinic receptors.

The effects of AF-DX 116, a cardioselective muscarinic antagonist, on the negative inotropic action of acetylcholine.

In superfused left atria from male guinea pigs, rats, and rabbits, myocardial contractility was measured before and after addition of acetylcholine (ACh) and AF-DX 116 ((11[[2-[(diethylamino)methyl]-1-piperidinyl]-acetyl]-5,11-dihydro- 6H-pyrido[2,3-b] [1,4]benzodiazepine-6-) one), a selective muscarinic antagonist. Characteristic dose-response curves for acetylcholine showing greater negative inotropic response with dose were seen. Increasing AF-DX 116 concentrations reversed the negative inotropy of acetylcholine and, in fact, increased the inotropic response approximately 100% and 50% above the baseline contractile force in a dose-dependent manner in the guinea pig and rabbit, respectively. This increase in contractility following AF-DX 116 addition was not observed in rat atria. The capacity of AF-DX 116 to produce the positive inotropic response only occurred at concentrations above 1 x 10(-5) M. The positive inotropic response of AF-DX 116 was antagonized by dl-propranolol, which suggests that the administration of AF-DX 116 at higher concentrations may unmask the effect of norepinephrine released from underlying viable adrenergic terminals which exist in the left atria.

Promiscuous or heterogeneous muscarinic receptors in rat atria? II. Antagonism of responses to carbachol by pirenzepine.

Carbachol produces both negative and positive inotropy in rat left atria. It is not clear whether these two effects are mediated by two separate cell surface muscarinic receptors or a single receptor interacting with two coupling proteins in the cell membrane. Pirenzepine, known to selectively block some biochemical muscarinic responses, was used in this study to block the biphasic response to carbachol in rat left atria. The negative inotropy to carbachol was blocked by pirenzepine, and Schild analysis indicated a -log dissociation constant (pKb) for the pirenzepine-receptor complex of 6.2. However, the Schild analysis may have been complicated by positive inotropy observed with pirenzepine. This positive inotropic effect was sensitive to blockade by other muscarinic antagonists. In atria from rats pretreated with pertussis toxin, carbachol produced a positive inotropic effect. Schild analysis with pirenzepine for antagonism of this response indicated a -log equilibrium dissociation constant for the pirenzepine-receptor complex of 6.7, significantly different from that for antagonism of negative inotropy. This ostensibly suggested a difference in the receptors mediating these responses. In view of the possible complicating effects of the positive inotropic effects of pirenzepine in this assay, an alternative method for the measurement of pirenzepine affinity was utilized. Resultant analysis was used to measure the pKb for pirenzepine antagonism of negative inotropy to carbachol. This method had the advantage of cancelling the positive inotropy to pirenzepine. Under these circumstances, pirenzepine had a pKb of 6.9, a value not significantly different from for antagonism of the positive inotropy to carbachol. The relevance of these findings is discussed in terms of a single promiscuous muscarinic receptor or heterogeneous receptors in this tissue. These data do not support the hypothesis that two separate receptors mediate these two effects.

Cholinomimetic activities of minaprine.

The cholinomimetic activities of the antidepressant drug minaprine have been investigated, in vitro and in vivo, in rodents. Minaprine, and its metabolite SR 95070B [3-(2-morpholinoethylamino)-4-methyl-6-(2-hydroxyphenyl) pyridazine hydrochloride] selectively displaced [3H]-pirenzepine from its cortical and hippocampal binding sites, and only weakly inhibited the binding of [3H]-N-methylscopolamine in either the rat cerebellum, heart and salivary glands, or the guinea-pig ileum. In mice, none of these drugs induced the typical cholinergic side-effects up to lethal doses. Minaprine and SR 95070B antagonized rotations induced by an intrastriatal injection of pirenzepine in mice, after intraperitoneal and/or oral administration. Minaprine also antagonized atropine-induced mydriasis in mice. Both minaprine and SR 95070B potentiated the tremorigenic effect of oxotremorine without inducing tremor when injected alone. Finally, minaprine and SR 95070B, after parenteral and/or oral injection, antagonized the scopolamine-induced deficit in passive avoidance learning, and enhanced short-term retention in the social memory test, in rats. The muscarinic agonists arecoline, oxotremorine and RS 86 [2-ethyl-8-methyl-2,8 diazaspiro-4,5 decan-1,3 dion hydrobromide], as well as the acetylcholine esterase inhibitors physostigmine and tacrine were active in most of these models. These results indicate that minaprine, and its metabolite SR 95070B, have cholinomimetic activities which could be, at least in part, mediated by their selective affinity for M1 muscarinic receptors. Thus minaprine could represent a potential useful drug for the treatment of senile dementias and cognitive impairments occurring in elderly people.

Pharmacological characterization of the aminopyridazine SR 95639A, a selective M1 muscarinic agonist.

In order to design a selective M1 muscarinic agonist, we synthesized SR 95639A (morpholinoethylamino-3-benzocyclohepta-(5,6-c)-pyridazine, dihydrochloride), a semi-rigid analogue of the aminopyridazine antidepressant drug minaprine. SR 95639A displaced [3H]pirenzepine from its binding sites in rat hippocampal membranes with an IC50 value of 0.27 microM. It only weakly displaced [3H]N-methylscopolamine from cerebellar, cardiac and ileal membranes (10-48 microM), and, up to 100 microM, did not interact with the main other receptors of the rat brain. In rat isolated sympathetic ganglia, SR 95639A induced dose-dependent depolarizations which were antagonized by pirenzepine, and dose dependently suppressed the M current. These latter effects were also pirenzepine-sensitive. After i.p. or oral treatment in mice, SR 95639A never induced the classical cholinergic syndrome, up to lethal doses. Finally, SR 95639A (i.p. and p.o.) antagonized contralateral rotations induced by intrastriatal injection of pirenzepine, in mice. These results suggest that SR 95639A is a selective agonist at central muscarinic M1 receptors and may represent a useful tool for further characterization of the nature and function of muscarinic receptor subtypes.

Antagonism by cholinomimetic drugs of the turning induced by intrastriatal pirenzepine in mice.

In order to investigate the behavioural effect of selective blockade of M1 muscarinic receptors in the forebrain, and to characterize a new model for the evaluation of muscarinic agonistic activity, the effect of intrastriatally injected pirenzepine was studied in mice. The direct injection of pirenzepine (0.01-1 microgram/mouse) into the right striatum of conscious mice resulted in contralateral turning behaviour. When injected intraperitoneally (IP) 15 min before pirenzepine (1 microgram), the muscarinic receptor agonists arecoline and pilocarpine (0.3-3 mg/kg), oxotremorine (0.003-0.03 mg/kg) and RS 86 (0.03-1 mg/kg) antagonized pirenzepine-induced turning, as did the choline-esterase inhibitor physostigmine (0.01-0.1 mg/kg) and the nootropic drug aniracetam (10-30 mg/kg). Haloperidol (0.03-0.3 mg/kg IP) weakly, but significantly, decreased the effect of pirenzepine, whereas (+/-) sulpiride (3-100 mg/kg) failed to affect it. Finally, (+/-)-amphetamine (0.1-3 mg/kg IP), citalopram (1-30 mg/kg IP) and muscimol (0.03-0.3 mg/kg IP) failed to modify pirenzepine-induced turning when administered prior to intrastriatal pirenzepine. These results suggest an involvement of M1 muscarinic receptors in rotational behaviour, and indicate that pirenzepine-induced turning may represent a new model for studying the central activity of cholinomimetic drugs.