Roles of Serotonin 2A Receptor in a Serotonin Syndrome

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Roles of Serotonin 2A Receptor in a Serotonin Syndrome ROLES OF SEROTONIN 2A RECEPTOR IN A SEROTONIN SYNDROME by Gongliang Zhang A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of The Charles E. Schmidt College of Science in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Florida Atlantic University Boca Raton, FL May 2010 ABSTRACT Author: Gongliang Zhang Title: Roles of Serotonin 2A Receptor in a Serotonin Syndrome Institution: Florida Atlantic University Dissertation Advisor: Dr. Rui Tao Degree: Doctor of Philosophy Year: 2010 Serotonin (5-HT) is a neurotransmitter in the central nervous system. Decrease in the brain 5-HT level could induce depression, showing a state of low mood, aversion to motion and feeling of worthlessness. About 12 million adults in the United States have depression. Antidepressants, such as monoamine oxidase inhibitors and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, can alleviate the depressive mood by increasing the brain’s 5-HT activity, however they can also induce a potentially life-threatening side effect, namely 5-HT syndrome. This syndrome is manifested by neuromuscular hyperactivities, mental disorders and autonomic dysfunctions. Clinical studies have demonstrated that 5-HT2A receptor antagonists could effectively block severe symptoms of patients with the 5-HT syndrome. To understand the underlying mechanisms, in this study we examined the activity of the 5-HT2A receptor in rats with the 5-HT syndrome evoked by a combined injection of iii clorgyline, a monoamine oxidase inhibitor, and paroxetine, a selective 5-HT reuptake inhibitor. The major findings from my study were that: (1) Chronic clorgyline treatment significantly exacerbated 5-HT2A receptor-mediated symptoms of the 5-HT syndrome animals; (2) The 5-HT2A receptor-mediated symptoms were also aggravated when the 5-HT syndrome animals were housed in warm (32 °C) ambient temperature; (3) Blocking 5-HT2A receptors in the medial prefrontal cortex alleviated the 5-HT syndrome through a circuit between raphe serotonergic neurons and medial prefrontal cortex glutamatergic neurons. Taken together, my data demonstrate that the activity of 5-HT2A receptors may be enhanced by chronic antidepressant treatment and warm environmental temperature. The sensitized 5-HT2A receptor in the medial prefrontal cortex may exacerbate the syndrome through a positive-feedback circuit between medial prefrontal cortex and raphe nuclei, which would result in excessive 5-HT in the brain. This study casts a new light on the underlying mechanisms of the 5-HT syndrome. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Tables........................................................................................................................x List of Figures................................................................................................................... xii List of Abbreviations........................................................................................................ xvi Chapter one: General Introduction.......................................................................................1 1.1 5-HT metabolism and distribution in the central nervous system.......................2 1.2 5-HT receptors.....................................................................................................4 5-HT2A receptor ................................................................................................5 5-HT1A receptor ..............................................................................................11 1.3 5-HT and brain function ....................................................................................12 1.4 Serotonin syndrome...........................................................................................13 History ............................................................................................................13 Epidemiology..................................................................................................14 Agents associated with the 5-HT syndrome ...................................................15 Clinical manifestations ...................................................................................16 Diagnosis and treatments................................................................................17 Animal research on the 5-HT syndrome.........................................................18 5-HT2A receptor and the 5-HT syndrome .......................................................20 Chapter Two: The enhanced activity of the serotonin 2A receptors in the underlying mechanism responsible for the malignant serotonin syndrome.........................................39 v 2.1 Introduction .......................................................................................................39 2.2 Materials and methods.......................................................................................41 Animal preparation .......................................................................................41 Chemicals and schedule for administration ..................................................41 Preparation of 5-HT syndrome animal ...........................................................41 Core body temperature measurement .............................................................42 Head shake......................................................................................................42 Surgery and microdialysis procedures............................................................42 5-HT assay with HPLC-electrochemical detection ........................................43 Histology ........................................................................................................44 Data analysis...................................................................................................44 2.3 Results ...............................................................................................................46 Changes in Tcor in the 5-HT syndrome animals with acute or chronic clorgyline treatment........................................................................................46 Effects of ketanserin on the hyperthermia and mortality of the 5-HT syndrome animals ...........................................................................................48 Effects of WAY-100635 and 8-OH-DPAT on the Tcor of the 5-HT syndrome animals............................................................................................................49 5-HT level in the mPFC and POA in the 5-HT syndrome animals with acute or chronic clorgyline treatment.......................................................................50 Changes in head shakes in the animals with acute or chronic clorgyline treatment .........................................................................................................52 Effects of chronic clorgyline treatment on the mortality of the 5-HT vi syndrome animals ...........................................................................................53 2.4 Discussion........................................................................................................55 Chapter Three: Effect of environmental temperature on the severity of 5-HT syndrome evoked by challenge injection of paroxetine combined with clorgyline...........83 3.1 Introduction .......................................................................................................83 3.2 Materials and methods.......................................................................................85 Behavioral score .............................................................................................85 Thermostatic chamber ....................................................................................85 3.3 Results ...............................................................................................................86 Effects of warm (32 °C) or cold (12 °C) Tamb on the Tcor of the moderate 5-HT syndrome animals .................................................................................86 Effects of Tamb on the DOI-induced increase in Tcor in drug-naïve animals .. 88 Effects on increases in 5-HT efflux to warm (32 °C) or cold (12 °C) ambient temperature in the moderate 5-HT syndrome animals......................91 Effects on the head shakes and behavioral score of warm (32 °C) or cold (12 °C) Tamb in the moderate 5-HT syndrome animals...................................94 Effects on the syndrome mortality of warm (32 °C) or cold (12 °C) Tamb in the moderate syndrome animals. ....................................................................95 Effects on Tcor and fatality of cold Tamb (12 °C) of the severe 5-HT syndrome animals ...........................................................................................96 3.4 Discussion .........................................................................................................98 Chapter Four: Behavioral and neurochemical characterization of the mild, moderate and severe serotonin syndromes evoked by challenge injection of vii paroxetine combined with clorgyline ....................................................................117 4.1 Introduction .....................................................................................................117 4.2 Materials and methods.....................................................................................119 Data analysis.................................................................................................119 4.3 Results
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