lithium-chloride and 3-4-dihydroxyphenylglycol

We investigated lithium-induced changes in norepinephrine (NE) catabolism. NE and its major metabolites 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol (MHPG) and 3,4-dihydroxyphenyl glycol (DHPG), ions such as lithium (Li(+)), magnesium (Mg(2+)), and potassium (K(+)) were measured in rat plasma and cerebral cortex using an HPLC method with electrochemical detection for amines. The results obtained with a group of rats treated by lithium chloride (2 mmol/kg/IP) were compared with a control group receiving sodium chloride (2 mmol/kg/IP). Animals were killed at different times over a period of six hours in the morning following salt administration to minimize possible chronobiological effects. There are two pathways leading to MHPG formation: way A, without DHPG, and way B, with DHPG. In plasma and cerebral cortex of lithium treated rats, way A catabolism seems to be preferential. Lithium increases Mg(2+) and K(+) plasma levels. These results suggest that lithium may increase inactivation of NE and decrease NE available for adrenergic receptors.

Topics: Animals; Area Under Curve; Cerebral Cortex; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; Electrochemistry; Female; Lithium; Lithium Chloride; Magnesium; Methoxyhydroxyphenylglycol; Models, Biological; Norepinephrine; Potassium; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Sodium Chloride; Spectrophotometry

An assay was developed to quantify norepinephrine (NE) and its metabolites (MHPG and DHPG) by high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection method (HPLC-ECD) in brain tissue and plasma of rats treated by LiCl. Separation on C(18) column was obtained by a mobile phase consisting of 4.5% methanol in buffer (0.1 M sodium acetate, 0.2 M citric acid) containing 0.2 mM ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid disodium salt (EDTA Na(2)) and 0.4 mM sodium octylsulfate, operated at a flow rate of 0.8 ml/min. A potential of +0.78 V was applied across the working and reference electrodes of the detector. The precision was in the range 2.88-4.35% for NE, 5.94-11.0% for MHPG and 1.97-4.40% for DHPG. Accuracy was 98.8-99.3% for NE, 97.4-100% for MHPG and 96.1-101% for DHPG. The limit of detection was 0.6 ng/ml for NE, 0.5 ng/ml for MHPG and 0.2 ng/ml for DHPG. The linearity is over the range 20-60 ng/ml for NE, 7-23 ng/ml for MHPG and 6-20 ng/ml for DHPG. The assay has been applied successfully to measure simultaneously cortex and plasmas concentrations of these three catecholamines in rats.

Topics: Animals; Cerebral Cortex; Female; Kinetics; Lithium Chloride; Methoxyhydroxyphenylglycol; Norepinephrine; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Reproducibility of Results; Sensitivity and Specificity

In the present paper we describe 2-methyl-6-(phenylethynyl)-pyridine (MPEP) as a potent, selective and systemically active antagonist for the metabotropic glutamate receptor subtype 5 (mGlu5). At the human mGlu5a receptor expressed in recombinant cells, MPEP completely inhibited quisqualate-stimulated phosphoinositide (PI) hydrolysis with an IC50 value of 36 nM while having no agonist or antagonist activities at cells expressing the human mGlu1b receptor at concentrations up to 30 microM. When tested at group II and III receptors, MPEP did not show agonist or antagonist activity at 100 microM on human mGlu2, -3, -4a, -7b, and -8a receptors nor at 10 microM on the human mGlu6 receptor. Electrophysiological recordings in Xenopus laevis oocytes demonstrated no significant effect at 100 microM on human NMDA (NMDA1A/2A), rat AMPA (Glu3-(flop)) and human kainate (Glu6-(IYQ)) receptor subtypes nor at 10 microM on the human NMDA1A/2B receptor. In rat neonatal brain slices, MPEP inhibited DHPG-stimulated PI hydrolysis with a potency and selectivity similar to that observed on human mGlu receptors. Furthermore, in extracellular recordings in the CA1 area of the hippocampus in anesthetized rats, the microiontophoretic application of DHPG induced neuronal firing that was blocked when MPEP was administered by iontophoretic or intravenous routes. Excitations induced by microiontophoretic application of AMPA were not affected.

Topics: Animals; Animals, Newborn; Brain; Cell Line; Cyclic AMP; Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists; Guanosine 5'-O-(3-Thiotriphosphate); Humans; Lithium Chloride; Male; Methoxyhydroxyphenylglycol; Oocytes; Phosphatidylinositols; Pyridines; Quisqualic Acid; Radioligand Assay; Rats; Rats, Inbred Strains; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Receptor, Metabotropic Glutamate 5; Receptors, Metabotropic Glutamate; Recombinant Proteins; Sulfur Radioisotopes; Transfection; Xenopus laevis

Vasa deferentia of either untreated or reserpine (R) and/or pargyline (P) pretreated rats were incubated with 3H-noradrenaline and then washed with amine- and Ca2+-free solution until (after 100 min) the efflux of radioactivity largely originated from adrenergic nerve endings; COMT was inhibited by U-0521 (U). After 110 min of wash out, the sodium chloride in the wash-out solution was replaced by an equimolar concentration of either Tris-HCl or LiCl. This caused a desipramine-sensitive (i.e., carrier-mediated) efflux of tritiated noradrenaline. The initial increase of the "low Na+"-induced efflux dependent on the experimental conditions: it was most pronounced when the axoplasmic concentration of noradrenaline was high (RPU) and relatively small when MAO and vesicular storage were intact (U). The effects of Li+ and Tris+ differed with regard to the time course of the efflux of tritium: under all three experimental conditions (RPU, PU, U), Tris+ caused the rate of efflux of tritium to increase gradually within the 30 min period of observation, while Li+ either had a "peak-effect" (RPU, PU) or a "plateau-effect" (U). Under "U-conditions" Tris+ caused a slowly increasing, pronounced increase with time of the efflux of both, 3H-noradrenaline and 3H-DOPEG; whereas Li+ caused only a small and sustained increase of the efflux of 3H-noradrenaline and a decrease in the efflux of 3H-DOPEG.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Topics: Animals; Chlorides; Desipramine; In Vitro Techniques; Lithium; Lithium Chloride; Male; Methoxyhydroxyphenylglycol; Neurons; Norepinephrine; Pargyline; Propiophenones; Rats; Reserpine; Sodium; Thymidine; Tromethamine; Vas Deferens