title: Catalepsy and hypolocomotion induced by a nitric oxide donor: attenuation by theophylline.
abstract: Nitric oxide (NO) promotes adenosine release in the striatum and hippocampus. Behavioral effects of the nitric oxide donor sodium nitroprusside were studied in mice and included an examination of spontaneous locomotion and catalepsy, which are behaviors modulated by adenosine. Sodium nitroprusside caused a dose-dependent (2, 4 and 6 mg/kg) decrease in locomotor activity and catalepsy at the dose of 6 mg/kg. These effects were substantially attenuated by pretreatment with the non-selective adenosine receptors antagonist theophylline (10 and 30 mg/kg). Moreover, combined treatment with theophylline (30 mg/kg) and sodium nitroprusside (6 mg/kg) induced limbic seizures in 23% of animals. The pretreatment with the selective adenosine A(1) receptor antagonist 8-cyclopentyl-1, 3-dimethylxanthine (CPT) (1.2 mg/kg) caused no effect on the spontaneous or sodium nitroprusside-induced behavior. These data suggest that these behavioral effects of sodium nitroprusside are at least partially mediated by adenosine in the striatum and hippocampus, probably via adenosine A(2A) receptors.
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Neurobiologia Experimental, Departamento de Bioquimica, ICBS, UFRGS, Porto Alegre, Brazil.
authors.forename: O P
authors.initials: OP
authors.lastname: Dall'Igna
authors.forename: M O
authors.initials: MO
authors.lastname: Dietrich
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hoffmann
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Neto
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Vendite
authors.forename: D O
authors.initials: DO
authors.lastname: Souza
authors.forename: D R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Lara
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects; D002375:Catalepsy / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000517:prevention & control; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000187:drug effects*; D020030:Nitric Oxide Donors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009599:Nitroprusside / Q000494:pharmacology; D058915:Purinergic P1 Receptor Antagonists; D013806:Theophylline / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology; D013997:Time Factors; D014665:Vasodilator Agents / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D020030:Nitric Oxide Donors; D058915:Purinergic P1 Receptor Antagonists; D014665:Vasodilator Agents; D009599:Nitroprusside; C053907:8-cyclopentyl-1,3-dimethylxanthine; D013806:Theophylline