No effect of MDMA (ecstasy) on cell death and 5-HT2A receptor density in organotypic rat hippocampal cultures.
Marie-Louise Sveen, Gitte M. Knudsen, Susana Aznar
Neuroscience Letters May 13, 2004 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2004.01.051 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | In vitro laboratory study using organotypic hippocampal cultures Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Organotypic hippocampal cultures prepared from 11-day-old rat pups |
| Intervention | MDMA |
| Dose | 50 or 100 microM |
| Duration | 1 week of exposure in 1-week-old cultures |
| Measures | Fluorojade, immunostaining for MAP2, immunostaining for 5-HT2A |
| Topics | MDMA Serotonin |
| Key points | Exposing hippocampal cultures to 50 or 100 micromolar MDMA produced no significant neurodegeneration (Fluoro-Jade, MAP2) and no significant change in 5-HT2A receptor density. The authors conclude that MDMA's neurotoxicity and its regulation of postsynaptic 5-HT2A receptors appear to require the presence of intact serotonergic terminals. |
Abstract
MDMA (3,4 Methylenedioxy-methamphetamine) binds and blocks the presynaptic serotonin reuptake transporters and postsynaptic serotonin 5-HT2A receptors, with highest affinity for the first. Whether 5-HT2A receptor density decreases due to MDMA's direct effect on postsynaptic serotonin receptors is at present not known. This study analyzes whether direct stimulation of the postsynaptic 5-HT2A receptor by MDMA in organotypic hippocampal cultures results in cell death and downregulation of this receptor. Fifty or 100 microM MDMA was added to 1 week old cultures, made of 11 day old rat pups. Fluorojade and immunostaining for MAP2 and 5-HT2A to determine neurodegeneration, and changes in receptor density, respectively, resulted in no significant differences. MDMA's neurotoxicity and regulation of post-synaptic 5-HT2A receptors thus seems to require the presence of intact serotonergic terminals.
Comparable studies
Other preclinical and animal studies on MDMA, most cited first.
Citations in the library
Cited by 3
- In Vivo Imaging of Cerebral Serotonin Transporter and Serotonin2A Receptor Binding in 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA or “Ecstasy”) and Hallucinogen Users Archives of General Psychiatry June 6, 2011
- The effect of MDMA-induced anxiety on neuronal apoptosis in adult male rats' hippocampus. Folia biologica 2014
- MDMA (Ecstasy) decreases the number of neurons and stem cells in embryonic cortical cultures. Cellular and molecular neurobiology January 2010
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and 2 more in the library