Effects of ritanserin on the 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine-induced decrease in striatal serotonin concentration and on the increase in striatal neurotensin and dynorphin A concentrations.
M Johnson, L G Bush, Glen R. Hanson, James W. Gibb
Biochemical Pharmacology August 1, 1993 DOI: 10.1016/0006-2952(93)90568-h (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Controlled experimental animal study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Male Sprague-Dawley rats |
| Interventions | MDMA ritanserin |
| Dose | 20 mg/kg MDMA |
| Duration | 1 week after MDMA for serotonin measurement; 18 hours after MDMA for neuropeptide measurement |
| Measures | serotonin (5-HT) concentration, neurotensin-like immunoreactivity (NTLI), dynorphin A-like immunoreactivity (DLI) |
| Topics | Serotonin MDMA |
| Keywords | Corpus striatum Animals Rats, sprague-dawley N-methyl-3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine Ritanserin Neurotensin Dynorphins Designer drugs Male |
| Key findings | A single 20 mg/kg dose of MDMA reduced rat striatal serotonin to 75% of control after one week, and ritanserin pretreatment prevented this reduction, suggesting a role for 5-HT2 receptors in MDMA-induced serotonergic damage. Ritanserin did not prevent the MDMA-induced increases in striatal neurotensin-like (250% of control) and dynorphin A-like (487% of control) immunoreactivity. |
Abstract
The concentration of serotonin (5-HT) measured in rat striatum was reduced to 75% of control 1 week after a single subcutaneous administration of dl-3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, 20 mg/kg). This decrease was prevented by pretreating the animals with ritanserin. Eighteen hours after MDMA (20 mg/kg), striatal concentrations of neurotensin-like immunoreactivity (NTLI) and of dynorphin A-like immunoreactivity (DLI) were increased to 250 and 487% of control, respectively, but ritanserin failed to prevent these changes. This study supports a role for 5-HT2 receptors in the mechanism by which a single high dose of MDMA induces neuronal damage to the serotonergic system, but not the MDMA-induced increase in central NTLI and DLI concentrations.
Comparable studies
Other preclinical and animal studies on MDMA, most cited first.
Citations in the library
Cited by 3
- Molecular and Cellular Mechanisms of Ecstasy-Induced Neurotoxicity: An Overview Molecular Neurobiology June 1, 2009
- Neuropeptide Y protects retinal neural cells against cell death induced by ecstasy. Neuroscience March 3, 2008
- Ecstasy induces apoptosis via 5-HT(2A)-receptor stimulation in cortical neurons. Neurotoxicology July 2007
Cites 6
- Neurotoxicity of the psychedelic amphetamine, methylenedioxymethamphetamine. Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics 1987
- Pharmacological profile of ritanserin: A very specific central serotonin S2‐antagonist Drug Development Research 1988
- Selective 5-hydroxytryptamine2 receptor antagonists protect against the neurotoxicity of methylenedioxymethamphetamine in rats. Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics November 1, 1990
- Effect of 3,4‐Methylenedioxymethamphetamine on 3,4‐Dihydroxyphenylalanine Accumulation in the Striatum and Nucleus Accumbens Journal of Neurochemistry March 1, 1990
- 5-HT2 antagonists stereoselectively prevent the neurotoxicity of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine by blocking the acute stimulation of dopamine synthesis: reversal by L-dopa. Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics 1990
and 1 more in the library