title: Ritanserin counteracts both rat vacuous chewing movements and nigro-striatal tyrosine hydroxylase-immunostaining alterations induced by haloperidol.
abstract: The effect of subchronic co-administration of ritanserin (1.5 mg/kg, i.p., twice a day) and haloperidol (1 mg/kg, i.p., twice a day) on rat vacuous chewing movements and on tyrosine hydroxylase-immunostaining was investigated. Ritanserin significantly reduced rat vacuous chewing movements observed following 2, 3 and 4 weeks of haloperidol administration and after 5 days of haloperidol withdrawal. Furthermore, ritanserin prevented the reduction of striatal tyrosine hydroxylase-immunostaining and the shrinkage of nigral dopaminergic cell bodies induced by haloperidol. The present results indicate that ritanserin may possess protective properties on both dopaminergic nigro-striatal neuron alterations and vacuous chewing movements induced by haloperidol, and provide further evidence indicating a possible association between these two haloperidol-induced effects.
authors.affiliation: Neuroscienze S.c.a.r.l., Cagliari, Italy.
authors.forename: Giorgio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Marchese
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bartholini
authors.forename: Stefania
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ruiu
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Casti
authors.forename: Gian Luca
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Casu
authors.forename: Luca
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pani
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use* / Q000633:toxicity*; D048429:Cell Size; D004409:Dyskinesia, Drug-Induced / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006220:Haloperidol / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000633:toxicity*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D017072:Neostriatum / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D016713:Ritanserin / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D013378:Substantia Nigra / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology*; D014446:Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D014150:Antipsychotic Agents; D016713:Ritanserin; D014446:Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase; D006220:Haloperidol