title: Nicotine and epibatidine alter differently nomifensine-elevated dopamine output in the rat dorsal and ventral striatum.
abstract: We studied the effects of nicotine and epibatidine given in combination with dopamine uptake inhibitor, nomifensine, on striatal extracellular dopamine and its metabolites by using brain microdialysis in freely moving rats. Nomifensine (3 mg/kg) elevated extracellular dopamine in the caudate-putamen, and clearly more in the nucleus accumbens. In the caudate-putamen, nicotine (0.5 mg/kg) and epibatidine (0.6 microg/kg but not 3.0 microg/kg) enhanced nomifensine's effect on dopamine. The effect of nomifensine on accumbal dopamine was enhanced by nicotine, but inhibited by epibatidine at 0.6 microg/kg. The larger dose of epibatidine had no effect. Thus, the effects of the smaller epibatidine dose (0.6 microg/kg) on the dopamine output in the caudate-putamen but not in the accumbens resemble those of nicotine 0.5 mg/kg. Discrepancies in the effects of epibatidine and nicotine are most probably due to differences in their affinities to nicotinic receptor subtypes regulating dopamine release. Further, different responses to low concentrations of epibatidine between the brain areas suggest that there are differences in the nicotinic regulation of nigrostriatal and mesolimbic dopaminergic pathways.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Pharmacy, Division of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 56, Viikinkaari 5, Helsinki FIN-00014, Finland.
authors.forename: Sanna
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Janhunen
authors.forename: Raimo K
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Tuominen
authors.forename: T Petteri
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: Piepponen
authors.forename: Liisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ahtee
mesh_terms: D015102:3,4-Dihydroxyphenylacetic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D019086:Bridged Bicyclo Compounds, Heterocyclic / Q000494:pharmacology; D002421:Caudate Nucleus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D003342:Corpus Striatum / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D004298:Dopamine / Q000378:metabolism*; D018765:Dopamine Uptake Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D005110:Extracellular Space / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D006719:Homovanillic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D017551:Microdialysis; D009538:Nicotine / Q000494:pharmacology; D018722:Nicotinic Agonists / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009627:Nomifensine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009714:Nucleus Accumbens / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D011699:Putamen / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D011725:Pyridines / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
chemical_list: D019086:Bridged Bicyclo Compounds, Heterocyclic; D018765:Dopamine Uptake Inhibitors; D018722:Nicotinic Agonists; D011725:Pyridines; D015102:3,4-Dihydroxyphenylacetic Acid; D009627:Nomifensine; D009538:Nicotine; C082748:epibatidine; D004298:Dopamine; D006719:Homovanillic Acid