title: Effects of single and long-term administration of nifedipine on dopamine-related behaviors.
abstract: The effects of single (2.5 and 5.0 mg/kg) and long-term (2.5 mg/kg, twice daily, for 30 days) ip administration of nifedipine on open-field and apomorphine-induced stereotyped behavior were evaluated in young male Wistar rats (12-16 animals per group for the open-field studies and 7 animals per group for the stereotypy experiments). Administration of a single dose of nifedipine produced no changes in ambulation or rearing frequencies or in immobility duration in the open-field compared to controls. Similarly, treatment with a single dose of nifedipine did not modify apomorphine-induced stereotypy. Withdrawal from long-term nifedipine administration caused a significant increase only in rearing frequency 24 h after the last drug injection (with a mean +/- SEM frequency of 23.2 +/- 2.8 for the nifedipine group and of 14.7 +/- 2.0 for control rats, after 6-min observation). This enhancement of rearing frequency was no longer observed 48 h after abrupt nifedipine withdrawal (means +/- SEM: 15.0 +/- 2.2 and 19.6 +/- 2.7 for nifedipine-treated and control rats, respectively). The other open-field behavioral parameters and apomorphine-induced stereotypy (which was observed 96 h after nifedipine withdrawal) were not affected by long-term nifedipine treatment; for example, the sum of stereotypy scores (mean +/- SEM) was 26.9 +/- 3.0 for nifedipine-treated rats and 25.5 +/- 2.2 for vehicle-treated animals. The possible mechanisms underlying these results are discussed in light of the changes in dopaminergic neurotransmission induced by dihydropyridine calcium channel blockers.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Farmacologia, Escola Paulista de Medicina, São Paulo, Brasil.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Maiolini Júnior
authors.forename: N F
authors.initials: NF
authors.lastname: Mattia
authors.forename: I M
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Conceição
authors.forename: Y H
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Smaili
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Frussa-Filho
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001058:Apomorphine; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects*; D007274:Injections, Intraperitoneal; D008297:Male; D009543:Nifedipine / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000494:pharmacology; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D011954:Receptors, Dopamine / Q000187:drug effects*; D013239:Stereotyped Behavior / Q000187:drug effects*; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D011954:Receptors, Dopamine; D009543:Nifedipine; D001058:Apomorphine