title: Nicotine potentiates sulpiride-induced catalepsy in mice.
abstract: The effects of nicotine on sulpiride-induced catalepsy in mice were investigated. Sulpiride (12.5-100 mg/kg) induced a low degree of catalepsy in mice which was dose dependent. Nicotine (0.0001-1 mg/kg) caused an even lower degree of catalepsy. When the drugs were co-administered a much higher cataleptogenic response was obtained. The potentiation of the effect of sulpiride by nicotine was elicited by 0.5 mg/kg or higher doses of the drug. The central nicotinic receptor antagonist mecamylamine (1-3 mg/kg) and the peripheral antagonist hexamethonium (5 and 10 mg/kg) decreased the response induced by the combination of nicotine and sulpiride. Higher doses of the cholinoceptor antagonist atropine (10 mg/kg) also reduced the catalepsy induced by the drug combination. It is concluded that nicotine potentiates sulpiride-induced catalepsy through activation of cholinergic mechanism(s) and that the central nicotinic mechanism mediates nicotine's action.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences and Soha Research and Development Center, KM Tehran-Ghazvin HWY, Iran.
authors.forename: M R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Zarrindast
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Haeri-Zadeh
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zarghi
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lahiji
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000633:toxicity*; D001285:Atropine / Q000494:pharmacology; D002375:Catalepsy / Q000139:chemically induced*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004357:Drug Synergism; D018738:Hexamethonium / Q000494:pharmacology; D008297:Male; D008464:Mecamylamine / Q000494:pharmacology; D051379:Mice; D018727:Muscarinic Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D009538:Nicotine / Q000633:toxicity*; D018722:Nicotinic Agonists / Q000633:toxicity*; D018733:Nicotinic Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D013469:Sulpiride / Q000633:toxicity*
chemical_list: D014150:Antipsychotic Agents; D018727:Muscarinic Antagonists; D018722:Nicotinic Agonists; D018733:Nicotinic Antagonists; D018738:Hexamethonium; D008464:Mecamylamine; D009538:Nicotine; D001285:Atropine; D013469:Sulpiride