Methamphetamine increases the hippocampal alpha(2A)-adrenergic receptor and Galpha(o) in mice.
This study investigates the involvement of alpha(2)-adrenergic receptors (AR) in mouse brain induced by a low dose of methamphetamine (METH, 2 mg/kg). Immunohistochemical studies show that alpha(2A)-AR increased in the dentate gyrus area of the hippocampus 24 h after five repeated administrations of METH. The hippocampal alpha(2A)-AR proteins rose 3.2-fold when compared to the saline-administered mice. The other adrenergic receptor, alpha(1D)-AR, were not changed by the treatment. Moreover, alpha(o)-subunits of GTP-binding proteins (Galpha(o)), one of the downstream molecules of alpha(2A)-AR, was also increased by the treatment. These suggest that the repeated administration of low-doses of METH causes quantitative changes of the signaling of alpha(2A)-AR in the mouse hippocampus.
Nishio
Masahiro
M
Department of Pharmacology, National Defense Medical College, 3-2 Namiki, Tokorozawa, 359-8513, Japan.
Kanda
Yasunari
Y
Mizuno
Katsushige
K
Watanabe
Yasuhiro
Y
D018759:Adrenergic Uptake Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D015153:Blotting, Western; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D018891:Dentate Gyrus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D019206:GTP-Binding Protein alpha Subunits, Gi-Go; D020962:Heterotrimeric GTP-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D008694:Methamphetamine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051379:Mice; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D018341:Receptors, Adrenergic, alpha-2 / Q000378:metabolism*; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D013997:Time Factors
C547769:Adra2a protein, mouse; D018759:Adrenergic Uptake Inhibitors; D018341:Receptors, Adrenergic, alpha-2; D008694:Methamphetamine; D019206:GTP-Binding Protein alpha Subunits, Gi-Go; D020962:Heterotrimeric GTP-Binding Proteins