title: Effects of fluoxetine on basal and K(+)-induced tritium release from synaptosomes preloaded with [3H]serotonin.
abstract: Synaptosomes from rat brain cortex and spinal cord were preloaded with [3H]serotonin ([3H]5-HT), superfused and exposed to fluoxetine and/or 15 mM K+. In both regions 10 microM, but not 1 microM fluoxetine evoked a marked tritium overflow, about 2 min later than the immediate [3H]5-HT release induced by K+, and mainly (73%) due to the efflux of a tritiated metabolite of 5-HT, possibly [3H]5-hydroxy-indoleacetic acid. These findings confirm previous data in the rat hippocampus and are probably due to fluoxetine interacting with the 5-HT storage vesicles. One microM fluoxetine significantly reduced the d-fenfluramine-induced [3H]5-HT overflow, in accordance with its action as 5-HT uptake blocker, but did not affect the K(+)-induced [3H]5-HT overflow. This latter finding does not confirm that fluoxetine inhibits the depolarization-induced Ca(2+)-influx, suggested to involve a drug interaction with the L-type Ca(2+)-channels. Thus, the overflow induced by 10 microM fluoxetine was additive with the depolarization-induced overflow, when the two stimuli were applied together. When 10 microM fluoxetine was added 7 min before 15 mM K+, there was no depolarization-induced overflow. Such inhibition might be only apparent and due either to the fluoxetine-induced loss of vesicular 5-HT or to a fluoxetine-induced alterations of synaptic vesicles. The in vivo relevance of the fluoxetine releasing effect remains to be assessed.
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri, Milano, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gobbi
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Crespi
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Mennini
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000648:ultrastructure; D005277:Fenfluramine / Q000494:pharmacology; D005473:Fluoxetine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000648:ultrastructure; D006897:Hydroxyindoleacetic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D010293:Pargyline / Q000494:pharmacology; D011188:Potassium / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D012701:Serotonin / Q000378:metabolism*; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000648:ultrastructure; D013574:Synaptosomes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D014316:Tritium
chemical_list: D005473:Fluoxetine; D014316:Tritium; D005277:Fenfluramine; D012701:Serotonin; D006897:Hydroxyindoleacetic Acid; D010293:Pargyline; D011188:Potassium