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Effects of nitric oxide synthesis inhibition on methamphetamine-induced dopaminergic and serotonergic neurotoxicity in the rat brain

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Summary

We examined effects of nitric oxide (NO·) synthesis inhibition on methamphetamine (MA)-induced dopaminergic and serotonergic neurotoxicity. The toxic dose of MA (5 mg/kg, sc, X4) significantly decreased contents of dopamine (DA), dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) and homovanillic acid (HVA) in the striatum (ST), and significantly decreased contents of serotonin (5-HT) in the ST, nucleus accumbens (NA) and medial frontal contex (MFC). Coadministration with a NO· synthase inhibitor, Nω-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (LNAME) (30 mg/kg, ip, X2), reduced the MA-induced decreases in contents of DA, DOPAC and HVA in the ST, but not reduced the MA-induced decreases in contents of 5-HT in the ST, NA and MFC. These findings suggest that the MA-induced dopaminergic, but not serotonergic neurotoxicity, may be related to the neural process such as NO· formation caused by the activation of postsynaptic DA receptor.

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  1. T. Abekawa

    Present address: Department of Psychiatry, Hokkaido University School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan

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  1. Department of Psychiatry, Hokkaido University School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan

    T. Ohmori & T. Koyama

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  1. T. Abekawa
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  2. T. Ohmori
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  3. T. Koyama
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Abekawa, T., Ohmori, T. & Koyama, T. Effects of nitric oxide synthesis inhibition on methamphetamine-induced dopaminergic and serotonergic neurotoxicity in the rat brain. J. Neural Transmission 103, 671–680 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01271227

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01271227

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