title: Characterization of the ethanol-like discriminative stimulus effects of 5-HT receptor agonists as a function of ethanol training dose.
abstract: A drug discrimination procedure was used to characterize the ethanol-like effects of a variety of 5-HT1 agonists. Previous studies found that the degree of substitution of the 5-HT1B/2C agonist TFMPP (m-trifluoromethylphenylpiperazine) depended on the training dose of ethanol. The present studies extend this initial finding to four additional 5-HT agonists with different selectivity for 5-HT1A, 5-HT1B, or 5-HT2C receptors: CGS 12066B (7-trifluoromethyl-4(4-methyl-1-piperazinyl)-pyrrolo[1,2a]quinoxaline maleate), mCPP [1-(3-chlorophenyl)piperazine diHCl], RU 24969 [5-methoxy-3(1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-4-pyridinyl]-1H-indole succinate and 8-OH DPAT [(+/-)-8-hydroxy-2-(di-n-propylamino)tetralin HBr]. Separate groups of rats were trained to discriminate 1.0 g/kg (n = 7), 1.5 g/kg (n = 6) or 2.0 g/kg (n = 8) ethanol from water. Following training, three to five doses of each 5-HT agonist were tested twice in each rat. The most selective 5-HT1B agonist tested, CGS 12066B (3-17 mg/kg; IP), completely substituted for the 1.0 g/kg ethanol, but not for 1.5 or 2.0 g/kg ethanol. Likewise, the 5-HT1B/2C agonist mCPP (0.56-1.7 mg/kg; IP) completely substituted only in the 1.0 g/kg ethanol training group. The 5-HT1A/1B agonist RU 24969 (0.1-3.0 mg/kg; IP) substituted for all training doses of ethanol, although in a lower proportion of the rats tested in the 2.0 g/kg ethanol training group. Finally, the 5-HT1A agonist 8-OH DPAT (0.1-1.0 mg/kg, IP) did not substitute completely for any ethanol training dose. The results consistently show that agonists with 5-HT1B activity produce discriminative stimulus effects similar to low and intermediate, but not high, ethanol training doses.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Bowman Gray School of Medicine, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC 27157-1083, USA.
authors.forename: K A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Grant
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Colombo
authors.forename: G J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Gatto
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002492:Central Nervous System Depressants / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D003216:Conditioning, Operant; D004192:Discrimination, Psychological; D000431:Ethanol / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D007211:Indoles / Q000494:pharmacology; D008297:Male; D010879:Piperazines / Q000494:pharmacology; D011810:Quinoxalines / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats; D017366:Serotonin Receptor Agonists / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D002492:Central Nervous System Depressants; D007211:Indoles; D010879:Piperazines; D011810:Quinoxalines; D017366:Serotonin Receptor Agonists; C052561:CGS 12066B; C018406:1-(3-trifluoromethylphenyl)piperazine; C025145:5-methoxy 3-(1,2,3,6-tetrahydro-4-pyridinyl)1H indole; D000431:Ethanol