title: Ameliorating effect of p-hydroxybenzyl alcohol on cycloheximide-induced impairment of passive avoidance response in rats: interactions with compounds acting at 5-HT1A and 5-HT2 receptors.
abstract: The effect of p-hydroxybenzyl alcohol (HBA) on cycloheximide (CXM)-induced impairment in the step-through passive avoidance task was investigated in rats and compared to the effect of the nootropic piracetam. HBA and piracetam significantly counteracted the CXM-induced shortening of retention latencies. The effect of HBA was a bell-shaped dose-response curve with a maximal effect of 5 mg/kg. The counteractive effect of HBA was not depressed by either scopolamine or mecamylamine. The serotonin (5-HT) releaser, p-chloroamphetamine, and presursor, 5-hydroxytryptophan, significantly antagonized the counteractive effect of HBA on the CXM-induced shortening of retention latencies. Furthermore, the counteractive effect was also inhibited by the 5-HT1A receptor agonist 8-hydroxy-2-(di-n-propylamino)tetralin (8-OH-DPAT) and the 5-HT2 receptor agonist 1-(2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodophenyl)-2 aminopropane [(+/-)-DOI], but potentiated by the 5-HT1 receptor antagonist (+/-)-pindolol and the 5-HT2 receptor antagonist ritanserin. There results suggest that the beneficial effect of HBA on CXM-induced impairment is amplified by treatment with serotonergic receptor antagonists but reduced by serotonergic 5-HT1A and 5-HT2 receptor agonists, and insensitive to cholinergic manipulations.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Chinese Pharmaceutical Sciences, China Medical College, Taichung, Taiwan, Republic of China.
authors.forename: M T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Hsieh
authors.forename: C R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: C C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Hsieh
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001362:Avoidance Learning / Q000187:drug effects*; D001592:Benzyl Alcohols / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018680:Cholinergic Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D003513:Cycloheximide / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004347:Drug Interactions; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000187:drug effects; D018697:Nootropic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D017288:Pain Threshold / Q000187:drug effects; D010889:Piracetam / Q000494:pharmacology; D011500:Protein Synthesis Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D011985:Receptors, Serotonin / Q000187:drug effects*; D012702:Serotonin Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D017366:Serotonin Receptor Agonists / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D001592:Benzyl Alcohols; D018680:Cholinergic Antagonists; D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives; D018697:Nootropic Agents; D011500:Protein Synthesis Inhibitors; D011985:Receptors, Serotonin; D012702:Serotonin Antagonists; D017366:Serotonin Receptor Agonists; C018966:4-hydroxybenzyl alcohol; D003513:Cycloheximide; D010889:Piracetam