Abstract
The effects of GABA agonists and antagonists on penile erection (PE) induced by apomorphine were investigated in rats. Subcutaneous (SC) administration of apomorphine (0.01–0.1 mg/kg) induces a dose-dependent PE in rats. The maximum effect was obtained with 0.1 mg/kg of the drug. The response was decreased with increasing doses of apomorphine from 0.1 to 0.5 mg/kg. The response induced by apomorphine (0.1–0.5 mg/kg) was decreased in animals pretreated with either the GABA-A agonist muscimol or the GABA-B agonist baclofen. Combination of muscimol with baclofen caused a stronger inhibitory effect on apomorphine-induced PE. Bicuculline or picrotoxin but not phaclofen reduced the inhibitory effect of muscimol on PE induced by apomorphine, whereas phaclofen but not GABA-A antagonists decreased the inhibitory action of baclofen on apomorphine-induced PE. Pretreatment of animals with higher doses of the GABA-A antagonists bicuculline and picrotoxin or the GABA-B antagonist phaclofen elicited inhibition of apomorphine-induced PE. However, the inhibitory effects of GABA-A and GABA-B antagonists are lost on combination. Administration of GABA-A and GABA-B receptor stimulation inhibit PE induced by dopaminergic mechanism(s).
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Zarrindast, MR., Farahvash, H. Effects of GABA-ergic drugs on penile erection induced by apomorphine in rats. Psychopharmacology 115, 249–253 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02244779
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02244779