title: Characterization of the effects of the acute and chronic administration of phencyclidine on the release of adrenocorticotropin, corticosterone and prolactin in the rat: evidence for the differential development of tolerance.
abstract: Phencyclidine (PCP) is a widely used drug of abuse; however, little is known of its effects on neuroendocrine function. The present study characterized the effects of the acute and chronic administration of PCP on the release of adrenocorticotropin, corticosterone and prolactin in the rat. For the acute studies, PCP hydrochloride (0.5-10.0 mg/kg s.c.) was administered and the subjects were sacrificed 15 to 300 min later. The acute administration of PCP produced rapid and long-lasting increases in plasma levels of adrenocorticotropin and corticosterone but decreased plasma levels of prolactin. For the chronic studies, PCP (1.0-20.0 mg/kg/day s.c.) was injected daily and the subjects sacrificed 60 min after injection on day 15. PCP continued to stimulate the pituitary-adrenal axis after chronic administration; however, there was a decrease in the magnitude of response, indicating the development of some degree of tolerance. In contrast, none of the doses of PCP tested decreased plasma prolactin levels in chronically treated subjects. There were no differences in plasma or brain levels of PCP in the chronically PCP-treated rats, indicating that tolerance was not due to changes in the biodisposition of PCP. These results indicate that PCP disrupts neuroendocrine function markedly in the rat. The differential development of tolerance to the effects of PCP on the pituitary-adrenal axis and prolactin release may indicate that different neurochemical substrates underlie the effects of PCP on different endocrine systems.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, University of California, School of Medicine, Los Angeles.
authors.forename: R N
authors.initials: RN
authors.lastname: Pechnick
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: George
authors.forename: R E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Poland
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hiramatsu
authors.forename: A K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Cho
mesh_terms: D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism; D003345:Corticosterone / Q000378:metabolism*; D004361:Drug Tolerance; D008297:Male; D010622:Phencyclidine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010913:Pituitary-Adrenal System / Q000187:drug effects; D011388:Prolactin / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D017981:Receptors, Neurotransmitter / Q000187:drug effects; D011957:Receptors, Opioid / Q000187:drug effects; D017478:Receptors, Phencyclidine; D017480:Receptors, sigma
chemical_list: D017981:Receptors, Neurotransmitter; D011957:Receptors, Opioid; D017478:Receptors, Phencyclidine; D017480:Receptors, sigma; D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone; D011388:Prolactin; D010622:Phencyclidine; D003345:Corticosterone