title: Effects of dihydropyridine Ca2+ channel blockers on the discriminative stimulus and the motor impairing effects of (+/-)-Bay K 8644.
abstract: Functional interactions between the dihydropyridine Ca2+ channel activator, (+/-)-Bay K 8644 (methyl-1,4-dihydro-2,6-dimethyl-3-nitro-4-(2-trifluoromethyphenyl )-pyridine-5-carboxylate), and several dihydropyridine L-type Ca2+ channel blockers were investigated on rotarod performance in mice and in rats trained to discriminate between (+/-)Bay K 8644 and saline. When administered alone, (+/-)-Bay K 8644 produced dose-dependent impairments of rotarod activity with an ED50 of 1.3 mg/kg. Pretreatment with nifedipine (10-30 mg/kg) produced dose-dependent rightward shifts of the (+/-)-Bay K 8644 dose-response curve. In contrast, pretreatment with several other dihydropyridine L-type Ca2+ channel blockers, including nicardipine, nimodipine, isradipine and nitrendipine, did not modify the (+/-)-Bay K 8644 dose-effect function. Rats learned to discriminate between (+/-)-Bay K 8644 (0.5 mg/kg) and saline in an average of 65 training sessions. In substitution tests, the Ca2+ channel activator engendered dose-related increases in the percentage of rats selecting the drug-associated lever with an ED50 of 0.19 mg/kg. Pretreatment with nifedipine (10 mg/kg) produced a rightward shift of the (+/-)-Bay K 8644 dose-response function. Pretreatment with nicardipine (2.5 mg/kg) only partially antagonised the training dose of (+/-)-Bay K 8644 whereas nimodipine (0.6-10 mg/kg) did not affect the (+/-)-Bay K 8644 discriminative stimulus. The results of the present study show that the behavioural effects of the dihydropyridine Ca2+ channel activator are differentially modified by dihydropyridine L-type Ca2+ channel blockers. These results may suggest that dihydropyridine blockers possess different intrinsic activities or act at different binding sites.
authors.affiliation: Synthélabo Recherche, Bagneux, France.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cohen
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Perrault
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Sanger
mesh_terms: D001498:3-Pyridinecarboxylic acid, 1,4-dihydro-2,6-dimethyl-5-nitro-4-(2-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)-, Methyl ester / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D002120:Calcium Channel Agonists / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004192:Discrimination, Psychological / Q000187:drug effects*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000187:drug effects*; D009529:Nicardipine / Q000494:pharmacology; D009543:Nifedipine / Q000494:pharmacology; D009553:Nimodipine / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D002120:Calcium Channel Agonists; D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers; D009553:Nimodipine; D001498:3-Pyridinecarboxylic acid, 1,4-dihydro-2,6-dimethyl-5-nitro-4-(2-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)-, Methyl ester; D009529:Nicardipine; D009543:Nifedipine