title: Apomorphine- and haloperidol-induced change in 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid content in the mesolimbic-striatum of the developing rat.
abstract: The mesolimbic-striatal content of 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) gradually increased with age in the developing rat. An intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of apomorphine (2 mg/kg) or haloperidol (0.1 mg/kg) caused a significant change in the DOPAC content on day 20 and day 70, but not on day 7. However, a higher dose of apomorphine (10 mg/kg, i.p.) or haloperidol (5 mg/kg, i.p.) as well as that of alpha-flupenthixol (0.5 mg/kg, i.p.) significantly affected the mesolimbic-striatal content of DOPAC in 7-day-old rats. In 24-day-old rats subchronically treated with haloperidol (1 mg/kg to 10 mg/kg for 10 days, s.c.), apomorphine (2 mg/kg, i.p.) produced a significant reduction in the mesolimbic content of DOPAC at the withdrawal stage of the drug, but not in control rats. It is suggested that mesolimbic-striatal dopamine (DA) receptors which are not fully sensitive to DA agonists and antagonists on day 7 reach functional maturity by 20 days of the postnatal age in the rat.
mesh_terms: D015102:3,4-Dihydroxyphenylacetic Acid / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D001058:Apomorphine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D006220:Haloperidol / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006719:Homovanillic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D008032:Limbic System / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D010648:Phenylacetates / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D011954:Receptors, Dopamine / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D010648:Phenylacetates; D011954:Receptors, Dopamine; D015102:3,4-Dihydroxyphenylacetic Acid; D006220:Haloperidol; D001058:Apomorphine; D006719:Homovanillic Acid