The roles of brain noradrenaline and dopamine in the anorectic activity of diethylpropion in rats: a comparison with d-amphetamine.
The anorectic activity of diethylpropion and d-amphetamine was studied in rats subjected to various treatments known to affect brain monoamines. The effect of diethylpropion, like that of d-amphetamine, was completely prevented by a lesion of the ventral noradrenergic bundle, which selectively decreases brain noradrenaline, but was not significantly modified in desipramine pretreated rats by an intraventricular injection of 6-hydroxydopamine, a condition decreasing only dopamine. Pretreatment with penfluridol significantly reduced the effect of d-amphetamine but not that of diethylpropion. A non-significant reduction of drug effect was found with alpha-methyl-p-tyrosine. Lesion of the nucleus medianus raphe, which destroys central serotonin neurons, or treatment with methergoline, a central serotonin antagonist, caused no changes in the effects of both compounds. The findings show that integrity of central noradrenergic neurons is an important condition for diethylpropion and d-amphetamine to exert their anorectic effect. Dopamine does not seem to play any role in the effect of diethylpropion but might contribute to that of d-amphetamine. The data are against any involvement of brain serotonin in diethylpropion anorexia.
D000818:Animals; D001067:Appetite Depressants; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D003913:Dextroamphetamine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004053:Diethylpropion / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004298:Dopamine / Q000502:physiology*; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000187:drug effects; D005260:Female; D006892:Hydroxydopamines / Q000494:pharmacology; D008711:Metergoline / Q000494:pharmacology; D008781:Methyltyrosines / Q000494:pharmacology; D009638:Norepinephrine / Q000502:physiology*; D010395:Penfluridol / Q000494:pharmacology; D011903:Raphe Nuclei / Q000502:physiology; D051381:Rats
D001067:Appetite Depressants; D006892:Hydroxydopamines; D008781:Methyltyrosines; D008711:Metergoline; D010395:Penfluridol; D004053:Diethylpropion; D003913:Dextroamphetamine; D004298:Dopamine; D009638:Norepinephrine