MDL 72222

Effect of 5-HT3 receptor antagonist MDL 72222 on behaviors induced by ketamine in rats and mice.[Pubmed:16288851]

Eur Neuropsychopharmacol. 2006 May;16(4):297-310.

Phencyclidine and ketamine (but not other NMDA channel blockers, such as memantine) produce psychotomimetic effects. Since unlike memantine, phencyclidine-like compounds show no significant affinity at 5-HT(3) receptors, we investigated if behavioral effects of ketamine could be reduced by 5HT(3) receptor blockade. Ketamine (3-40 mg/kg) produced ataxia, stereotypes and diminished exploratory activity in mice, and reduced prepulse inhibition of acoustic startle response, lowered accuracy in fixed consecutive number and in delayed non-matching-to-sample tasks in rats. The 5HT(3) receptor antagonist MDL 72222 (0.3-3 mg/kg) administration did not reverse any of these deficits and exerted no effects on discriminative stimulus properties of ketamine. In the tail suspension test, both ketamine and MDL 72222 produced anti-immobility effects when given alone (50-66 and 3 mg/kg, respectively) and together (12.5-25 and 1 mg/kg). The present data suggest that 5-HT(3) receptor blockade does not reverse the behavioral deficits of ketamine and may even enhance its certain effects, such as the antidepressant-like action.

Blockade of 5-HT(3) receptor with MDL 72222 and Y 25130 reduces beta-amyloid protein (25--35)-induced neurotoxicity in cultured rat cortical neurons.[Pubmed:16150439]

Eur J Pharmacol. 2005 Sep 27;520(1-3):12-21.

The present study was performed to examine neuroprotective effects of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT)(3) receptor antagonists against beta-amyloid protein (25--35)-, a synthetic 25--35 amyloid peptide, induced neurotoxicity using cultured rat cortical neurons. beta-Amyloid protein (25--35) produced a concentration-dependent reduction of cell viability, which was significantly reduced by (5R,10S)-(+)-5-methyl-10,11-dihydro-5H-dibenzo[a,d] cyclohepten-5,10-imine (MK-801), an N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist, verapamil, an L-type Ca(2+) channel blocker, and N(G)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME), a nitric oxide synthase inhibitor. The 5-HT(3) receptor antagonists, tropanyl-3,5-dichlorobenzoate (MDL-72222, 0.1--10 microM) and N-(1-azabicyclo[2.2.2.]oct-3-yl)-6-chloro-4-ethyl-3-oxo-3,4-dihydro-2H-1,4-benzox azine-8-carboxamide hydrochloride (Y 25130, 0.05--5 microM), decreased the beta-amyloid protein (25--35) (10 microM)-induced neuronal cell death as assessed by a colorimetric 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay and the number of apoptotic nuclei, evidenced by Hoechst 33342 staining. MDL 72222 and Y 25130 inhibited the beta-amyloid protein (25--35) (10 microM)-induced elevation of cytosolic Ca(2+) concentration ([Ca(2+)](c)) and glutamate release, generation of reactive oxygen species, and caspase-3 activity. These neuroprotective effects of MDL 72222 (10 microM) and Y 25130 (5 microM) were completely blocked by the simultaneous treatment with 100 microM 1-phenylbiguanide, a 5-HT(3) receptor agonist, indicating that the protective effects of these compounds were due to 5-HT(3) receptor blockade. These results suggest that the activation of the 5-HT(3) receptor may be partially involved in beta-amyloid protein-induced neurotoxicity, by membrane depolarization for Ca(2+) influx. Therefore, the blockade of 5-HT(3) receptor with MDL 72222 and Y 25130, may ameliorate the beta-amyloid protein-induced neurotoxicity by interfering with the increase of [Ca(2+)](c), and then by inhibiting glutamate release, generation of reactive oxygen species and caspase-3 activity.

5-HT3 receptor antagonist MDL 72222 attenuates cocaine- and mazindol-, but not methylphenidate-induced neurochemical and behavioral effects in the rat.[Pubmed:11823886]

Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2002 Feb;159(4):341-50.

RATIONALE: It has previously been demonstrated that the 5-HT(3) receptors located in the mesolimbic brain areas are able to modulate the dopaminergic effects of various abused drugs, including cocaine (COC). OBJECTIVES: The present experiments investigated the role of 5-HT(3) receptors in the actions of selected monoamine uptake inhibitors. METHODS: The ability of the 5-HT(3) receptor antagonist MDL 72222 (MDL; 0.1 and 1.0 mg/kg) to modify the neurochemical and behavioral changes induced by COC (20 mg/kg), mazindol (MAZ; 10 mg/kg), and methylphenidate (MP; 5.0 or 10, and 20 mg/kg) was assessed with an in vivo microdialysis technique, a conditioned place preference method, and motor activity measurements. RESULTS: MDL robustly attenuated the elevation of extracellular dopamine levels in the nucleus accumbens, acquisition of place preference, and motor activity induced by COC and MAZ, but not those induced by MP, the only drug with no significant effect on 5-HT. In contrast, expression of COC-induced place preference was not attenuated by MDL. CONCLUSIONS: These results show that COC- and MAZ-induced reward-related neurochemical and behavioral effects, preferentially those implicated in development of conditioned reward, are modified by the 5-HT(3) blockade. In contrast to COC and MAZ, the changes induced by MP, which has less effect on the serotonergic system, remain unchanged. Thus it appears that involvement of a serotonergic component in the mechanism of action of a drug could be a prerequisite for effective antagonism by 5-HT(3) receptor blockers.

Dopamine neurotransmission is involved in the attenuating effects of 5-HT3 receptor antagonist MDL 72222 on acute methamphetamine-induced locomotor hyperactivity in mice.[Pubmed:17948891]

Synapse. 2008 Jan;62(1):8-13.

We have previously shown that 5-HT3 receptors are involved in the development and expression of methamphetamine (MAP)-induced locomotor sensitization in mice. In the present study, we further examined whether the dopaminergic system is involved in the attenuating effects of MDL 72222, a 5-HT3 receptor antagonist, on acute MAP-induced locomotor hyperactivity. For this, we examined alterations of dopamine (DA) in the form of D1 receptor, D2 receptor, and dopamine transporter (DAT) binding labeled with [3H]SCH23390 for D1, [3H]raclopride for D2, and [3H]mazindol for DAT binding in the mouse brains with acute MAP exposure or pretreatment of MDL 72222 with MAP. No significant differences were detected in the D1 receptor, D2 receptor, or DAT binding between any of the groups studied. Interestingly, we found increased DA levels in the striatum following acute MAP exposure; these increased levels were reversed by pretreatment with MDL 72222, but did not affect 5-HT levels in the dorsal raphe. Overall, our results suggest that dopamine neurotransmission plays an important role in the attenuating effects of 5-HT3 receptor antagonist MDL 72222 on acute MAP-induced locomotor hyperactivity in mice.

MDL 72222: a potent and highly selective antagonist at neuronal 5-hydroxytryptamine receptors.[Pubmed:6472484]

Naunyn Schmiedebergs Arch Pharmacol. 1984 May;326(1):36-44.

The properties of MDL 72222 (1 alpha H, 3 alpha, 5 alpha H-tropan-3-yl-3,5-dichlorobenzoate), a novel compound with potent and selective blocking actions at certain excitatory 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) receptors on mammalian peripheral neurones, are described. On the rabbit isolated heart, MDL 72222 was a potent antagonist of responses mediated through the receptors for 5-HT present on the terminal sympathetic fibres. The threshold for antagonism was approximately 0.1 nM and the negative logarithm of the molar concentration of MDL 72222 which reduced the chronotropic response of the isolated rabbit heart to twice an ED50 of 5-HT to that of the ED50 was 9.27. MDL 72222 was also highly selective since responses to the nicotine receptor agonist, dimethylphenylpiperazinum iodine (DMPP), were inhibited only at concentrations more than 1000 times those necessary to inhibit 5-HT. In the anaesthetised rat, MDL 72222 produced marked blockade of the Bezold-Jarisch effect of 5-HT. Again, inhibition was selective since much higher doses of MDL 72222 failed to alter the response to electrical stimulation of the efferent vagus nerves. In contrast, MDL 72222 proved only a weak and essentially non-selective antagonist of responses mediated by the 5-HT M-receptor present on the cholinergic nerves of the guinea-pig ileum. MDL 72222 does not block smooth muscle contractile responses elicited by oxytocin or mediated through 5-HT D-receptors, muscarinic or nicotinic cholinoceptors or histamine H1-receptors except at relatively high concentrations.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)