Rationale: Mice lacking the gene for the dopamine transporter (DAT) show a unique behavioral phenotype characterized by locomotor hyperactivity and repetitive circling in a novel environment. The hyperactivity of DAT (-/-) mice can be attenuated by psychostimulants and by serotonin uptake inhibitors, suggesting an important role for serotonin in the attenuation of locomotor hyperactivity in these mice.
Objectives: These studies characterized the effects of 3,4-methylenedioxy-N-methylamphetamine (MDMA), a serotonin releaser, on the amount and patterns of locomotor activity in DAT (+/+) and (-/-) mice. We compared the locomotor patterns produced by MDMA to those observed in DAT (-/-) mice, and examined whether MDMA altered the hyperactivity and perseverative locomotor patterns in DAT (-/-) mice.
Methods: The effects of MDMA (10, 30 mg/kg) on locomotor activity in DAT (+/+) mice were measured for 90 min in a video tracker system to determine the optimal dose for subsequent studies in DAT (+/+) and (-/-) mice. The effects of 20 mg/kg MDMA on patterns of locomotor activity in DAT (+/+) and (-/-) mice were measured for 90 min.
Results: In DAT (+/+) mice, MDMA increased locomotor activity and induced repetitive straight movement patterns. In DAT (-/-) mice, however, MDMA (20 mg/kg) attenuated the characteristic locomotor hyperactivity seen in these mice. In contrast, MDMA potentiated the thigmotaxis and decreased entropy observed in the DAT (-/-) mice.
Conclusions: The effects of MDMA observed here demonstrate that the different aspects of the abnormal locomotor behavior exhibited by DAT (-/-) mice can be independently manipulated by pharmacological treatments.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00213-003-1765-7 | DOI Listing |
FEBS Lett
January 2025
Research Department, Purotech Bio Inc, Yokohama, Japan.
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infects cells by attaching to heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPG) and Na/taurocholate cotransporting polypeptide (NTCP). The endothelial lipase LIPG bridges HSPG and HBV, facilitating HBV attachment. From a randomized peptide expression library, we identified a short sequence binding to LIPG.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOtolaryngol Head Neck Surg
January 2025
Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham Heersink School of Medicine, Birmingham, Alabama, USA.
Objective: Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a clinical entity defined by aberrant chloride (Cl) ion transport causing downstream effects on mucociliary clearance (MCC) in sinonasal epithelia. Inducible deficiencies in transepithelial Cl transport via CF transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) has been theorized to be a driving process in recalcitrant chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) in patients without CF. We have previously identified that brief exposures to bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in mammalian cells induces an acquired dysfunction of CFTR in vitro and in vivo.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFVet Rec
January 2025
Department of Animal and Agriculture, Hartpury University, Gloucester, UK.
Background: There is limited research on how rodent owners use and perceive veterinary services and what the demand for pet insurance for these species is.
Methods: An online survey of owners of pet rodents (guinea pigs, hamsters, rats, gerbils and mice) measured owner confidence in recognising signs of illness, their opinions on and use of veterinary services and their willingness to purchase pet insurance.
Results: A total of 1700 respondents completed the survey.
Pharmacol Res Perspect
February 2025
Department of Pharmaceutical Health Care and Sciences, Tokyo University of Pharmacy and Life Sciences, Tokyo, Japan.
Doxorubicin (DOXO) has long been used clinically and remains a key drug in cancer therapy. DOXO-induced cardiomyopathy (DICM) is a chronic and fatal complication that severely limits the use of DOXO. However, there are very few therapeutic agents for DICM, and there is an urgent need to identify those that can be used for a larger number of patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Cachexia Sarcopenia Muscle
February 2025
Division of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science, Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.
Background: With a decline of 17β-estradiol (E2) at menopause, E2 has been implicated in the accompanied loss of skeletal muscle mass and strength. We aimed at characterizing transcriptomic responses of skeletal muscle to E2 in female mice, testing the hypothesis that genes and pathways related to contraction and maintenance of mass are differentially expressed in ovariectomized mice with and without E2 treatment.
Methods: Soleus and tibialis anterior (TA) muscles from C57BL/6 ovariectomized mice treated with placebo (OVX) or E2 (OVX + E2) for 60 days, or from skeletal muscle-specific ERα knockout (skmERαKO) mice and wild-type littermates (skmERαWT), were used for genome-wide expression profiling, quantitative real-time PCR and immunoblotting.
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