Alpha-2 adrenergic-induced changes in rectal temperature in adult and 13-day old rats following acute and repeated desipramine administration.

Background: The effects of acute and repeated treatment with desipramine on the functional response of alpha2-adrenoceptors were tested in adult and 13-day old rats. The functional response measured was hypothermia that was induced by brimonidine, an alpha2-adrenoceptor agonist. The change in the extent of the brimonidine-induced hypothermia following pretreatment with either single or 4 twice-daily injections of desipramine was compared in 13-day old and adult (65-75 days old) male rats.

Pharmacological properties of the active metabolites of the antidepressants desipramine and citalopram.

Although major metabolites of some antidepressant drugs are known to be active, their pharmacological effects are poorly characterized. Two of the most selective antidepressants, desipramine (selectively inhibits norepinephrine reuptake) and citalopram (selectively inhibits serotonin reuptake) are frequently used in animal studies of antidepressant action, as well as being useful therapeutically. The primary aim of this study was to determine the affinity of desmethyldesipramine, an active metabolite of desipramine, for the rat norepinephrine and serotonin transporters, as well as for the rat alpha(2)-adrenoceptor.

Appropriate dosing regimens for treating juvenile rats with desipramine for neuropharmacological and behavioral studies.

The tricyclic antidepressants, including desipramine (DMI), are no better than placebo in treating childhood and adolescent depression, but are effective in adult depression. Animal studies comparing the effects of DMI in juveniles and adults are complicated by age-related variations in elimination rates. Thus, different dosing regiments are needed to achieve similar brain drug levels in juvenile and adult rats.

Differential effects of the tricyclic antidepressant desipramine on the density of adrenergic receptors in juvenile and adult rats.

Although the tricyclic antidepressants, such as desipramine (DMI), are among the most efficacious treatments for adult depression, they are not effective in treating childhood and adolescent depression. Because the adrenergic nervous system is not fully developed until late adolescence, we hypothesized that the mechanisms regulating receptor density may not yet be mature in young mammals. To test this hypothesis, the effects of DMI treatment on cortical alpha-1-, alpha-2-, and beta-adrenergic receptors were compared in juvenile and adult rats.

Exploring the active site of phenylethanolamine N-methyltransferase with 3-hydroxyethyl- and 3-hydroxypropyl-7-substituted-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinolines.

3-Hydroxyethyl- and 3-hydroxypropyl-7-substituted-tetrahydroisoquinolines (9, 10, 16, and 17) were synthesized and evaluated for their phenylethanolamine N-methyltransferase (PNMT) inhibitory potency and affinity for the alpha(2)-adrenoceptor. Although alpha(2)-adrenoceptor affinity decreased for these compounds, selectivity was not gained over the parent 3-hydroxymethyl compounds (1, 2) due to a loss in PNMT inhibitory potency.

Radioligand-binding methods for membrane preparations and intact cells.

The radioligand-binding assay is a relatively simple but powerful tool for studying G-protein-coupled receptors. There are three basic types of radioligand-binding experiments: (1) saturation experiments from which the affinity of the radioligand for the receptor and the binding site density can be determined; (2) inhibition experiments from which the affinity of a competing, unlabeled compound for the receptor can be determined: and (3) kinetic experiments from which the forward and reverse rate constants for radioligand binding can be determined. Detailed methods for typical radioligand-binding assays for G-protein-coupled receptors in membranes and intact cells are presented for these types of experiments.

Adrenergic receptor genes: cDNA and genomic library construction.

Adrenergic receptors mediate the central and peripheral actions of norepinephrine and epinephrine and are pharmacologically divided into three major types, alpha-1, alpha-2, and beta. These types are further subdivided into alpha-1A, alpha-1B, and alpha-1D; alpha-2A, alpha-2B, and alpha-2C; and beta-1, beta-2, and beta-3, respectively. Adrenergic receptor sequence information is presented in three tables with respect to species, subtype identification, GenBank accession number, source of the nucleic acid sequence, the presence of a 5' flanking region upstream of the transcription start site, and the nucleotides defined as introns, coding regions, or 3' and/or 5' untranslated but transcribed (UTR) regions.

Down-regulation of the alpha-2C adrenergic receptor: involvement of a serine/threonine motif in the third cytoplasmic loop.

Background: The mechanisms by which alpha-2 adrenergic receptors are down-regulated following chronic exposure to agonist are not well understood. Interestingly, the human alpha-2C receptor does not down-regulate, whereas the opossum alpha-2C receptor does down-regulate. A comparison of the amino acid sequence of the third intracellular loop of these two receptors shows that the opossum alpha-2C receptor contains a potential G protein-coupled receptor kinase (GRK)phosphorylation motif (EESSTSE) with four hydroxyl residues, whereas the human alpha-2C receptor motif only contains two hydroxyl residues (DESSAAAAE).