title: Effect of chronic fluoxetine and WAY-100635 treatment on serotonergic neurotransmission in the frontal cortex.
abstract: Clinical augmentation strategies have shown that some improvement in antidepressant efficacy can be achieved by combining the beta-adrenergic/serotonin (5-HT)1A/1B receptor antagonist (+/-)pindolol with a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI). This has lead to the hypothesis that a combination of a 5-HT1A receptor antagonist with an SSRI will lead to a faster onset of antidepressant action. Although there is a significant accumulation of acute preclinical data supporting this rationale, until recently, there have been no investigations examining the chronic effects of combining an SSRI with a 5-HT1A receptor antagonist. Here, we determined the chronic effects of fluoxetine (10 mg/kg o.d.), administered in combination with the selective 5-HT1A receptor antagonist WAY-100635 (1 mg/kg b.i.d.), on serotonergic neurotransmission in the frontal cortex using in-vivo microdialysis. Following chronic administration of fluoxetine +/- WAY-100635, functional changes in serotonergic neurotransmission, as well as 5-HT1A autoreceptors, were assessed by administering fluoxetine or (+/-) 8-hydroxy-2-(di-n-propylamino)tetralin [(+/-) 8-OH-DPAT] 24 h after the last chronic dose. Chronic administration of WAY-100635 alone produced no detectable change in the functional status of the 5-HT1A receptor. However, fluoxetine alone produced a time-dependent adaptation in serotonergic transmission such that fluoxetine (acutely administered on day 15) was able to produce a two-fold increase in extracellular 5-HT levels but the decrease in response to 8-OH-DPAT was completely attenuated. These data indicate that the fluoxetine-induced adaptation was mediated by desensitization of the 5-HT1A receptor. WAY-100635 given chronically in combination with fluoxetine blocked the SSRI-induced desensitization of the 5-HT1A receptor. Furthermore, chronic treatment with this combination produced no tolerance in terms of its ability to acutely increase forebrain 5-HT levels. These data suggest that augmentation of an SSRI by combined pharmacotherapy with a 5-HT1A antagonist would be effective upon prolonged exposure.
authors.affiliation: Neuroscience Research, Wyeth Ayerst, Princeton, NJ, USA. lee_a_dawson@gsk.com
authors.forename: L A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Dawson
authors.forename: H Q
authors.initials: HQ
authors.lastname: Nguyen
authors.forename: D L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: L E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Schechter
mesh_terms: D017371:8-Hydroxy-2-(di-n-propylamino)tetralin / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D018687:Antidepressive Agents, Second-Generation / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005110:Extracellular Space / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D005473:Fluoxetine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D017551:Microdialysis; D010879:Piperazines / Q000494:pharmacology*; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D011725:Pyridines / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D011985:Receptors, Serotonin / Q000187:drug effects; D044263:Receptors, Serotonin, 5-HT1; D012701:Serotonin / Q000502:physiology*; D012702:Serotonin Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology*; D017366:Serotonin Receptor Agonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D009435:Synaptic Transmission / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D018687:Antidepressive Agents, Second-Generation; D010879:Piperazines; D011725:Pyridines; D011985:Receptors, Serotonin; D044263:Receptors, Serotonin, 5-HT1; D012702:Serotonin Antagonists; D017366:Serotonin Receptor Agonists; D005473:Fluoxetine; D012701:Serotonin; C090413:N-(2-(4-(2-methoxyphenyl)-1-piperazinyl)ethyl)-N-(2-pyridinyl)cyclohexanecarboxamide; D017371:8-Hydroxy-2-(di-n-propylamino)tetralin