Inhibitory influence of dihydroergosine on the aggressiveness of rats and mice.
Fifty mg/kg of ergot alkaloid dihydroergosine (DHESN) inhibited the mouse-killing behavior of isolated male rats, while 10 mg/kg did not. This effect of DHESN (50 mg/kg) lasted for 24 hr. When an additional injection of DHESN (50 mg/kg) was given to mouse-killer rats 6 days following the first, the mouse-killing behavior was again inhibited. The effect of the second drug injection also persisted for 24 hr and was accompanied by an increased concentration of 5-HT in the raphe nuclei and hypothalamus and by a decreased concentration of GABA in the olfactory bulbs. DHESN also inhibited aggressiveness in isolated mice. Two hr following the administration of 10 mg/kg DHESN the fighting was inhibited in 46% of pairs tested, while 50 mg/kg abolished it completely. The effect of 50 mg/kg lasted 24 hr. These results, showing the antiaggressive effects of DHESN, support our previous suggestion that DHESN might presumably be a new antidepressant, and suggest that besides the serotoninergic, the GABA-ergic system might also be involved in the modification of behavior induced by this drug.
Manev
H
H
Department of Experimental Biology and Medicine, Ruder Bosković Institute, Zagreb, Yugoslavia.
Pericić
D
D
Mück-Seler
D
D
D000374:Aggression / Q000187:drug effects*; D000818:Animals; D004879:Ergotamines / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006897:Hydroxyindoleacetic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D007031:Hypothalamus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D009830:Olfactory Bulb / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D011903:Raphe Nuclei / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D012701:Serotonin / Q000378:metabolism; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid / Q000378:metabolism
D004879:Ergotamines; D012701:Serotonin; D006897:Hydroxyindoleacetic Acid; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid; C037580:9,10-dihydroergosine