A study has been made of the pharmacology of 5‐hydroxytryptamine (5‐HT)‐induced hyperpolarization responses recorded extracellularly from the rat isolated superior cervical ganglion (SCG).
Hyperpolarization responses induced by 5‐HT (1 × 10−8‐1 × 10−4 m) in the presence of MDL 72222 (1 × 10−5 m) were not antagonized by phentolamine (1 × 10−6 m), prazosin (1 × 10−7‐3 × 10−7 m), haloperidol (1 × 10−6 m) or ketanserin (1 × 10−7‐1 × 10−6 m). However, the latter two compounds both potentiated and increased the persistence of the hyperpolarization induced by moderate to high concentrations of 5‐HT. Spiperone (1 × 10−7 m) caused similar effects. All further experiments were performed in the presence of ketanserin (1 × 10−6 m) as well as MDL 72222.
8‐Hydroxy‐2(di‐n‐propylamino)‐tetralin (8‐OH‐DPAT; 1 × 10−7‐1 × 10−4 m) and ipsapirone (3 × 10−5‐3 × 10−4 m) behaved as weak hyperpolarizing agonists on the SCG. However, at concentrations below those required to produce hyperpolarization, both compounds acted as unsurmountable antagonists of 5‐HT‐induced hyperpolarization.
5‐Carboxamidotryptamine (5‐CT; 1 × 10−9‐1 × 10−5 m) mimicked the hyperpolarizing activity of 5‐HT on the SCG. The EC50 for 5‐CT was approximately 9 fold lower than that for 5‐HT.
Spiperone (1 × 10−7‐1 × 10−5 m) behaved as a reversible competitive antagonist of hyperpolarization responses induced by 5‐HT with a pKB value of 7.40 ± 0.09. Spiperone (1 × 10−7‐1 × 10−6 m) also caused concentration‐dependent rightward displacement of the 5‐CT concentration‐hyperpolarization response curve. In this case, the pKB was 7.80 ± 0.05.
(±)‐Cyanopindolol (3 × 10−7‐3 × 10−6 m) caused non‐parallel rightward displacements of the 5‐HT concentration‐response curve. Against 5‐CT, (±)‐cyanopindolol (3 × 10−7‐3 × 10−6 m) caused a concentration‐independent rightward displacement of the concentration‐response curve, accompanied by a large increase in the maximum response. 5‐CT‐induced hyperpolarization recorded in the presence of (±)‐cyanopindolol (3 × 10−7 m) was not significantly antagonized by methiothepin (1 × 10−6 m) or methysergide (1 × 10−6 m).
It is concluded that 5‐HT‐induced hyperpolarization of the rat SCG is mediated via a 5‐HT1‐like receptor which resembles the 5‐HT1A binding site. However, a lack of selective drugs precludes more definitive characterization of this receptor.