The neurochemical effects on striatal dopamine turnover rate of N-stearyl dopamine after acute administration in rats.

1. Considerable efforts have been made in order to develop autoreceptor selective agonists for the treatment of schizophrenia and hyperkinetic disorders. 2. Recent behavioural studies showed that the newly synthesized dopamine lipoamide, N-stearyl dopamine induced a strong hypomotility (-80%) in rats and mice. It is worth noting that this behavioural response was partially antagonized by dopaminergic antagonists, such as haloperidol and sulpiride, administered at doses that block DA autoreceptors. 3. In the present study the authors investigated the neurochemical changes induced by S-DA, in the striatum of the rat brain, in order to estimate a possible correlation between the above mentioned behavioural response and DA metabolism. 4. S-DA (10 or 100 mg/kg, i.p.) induced a significant decrease in DA turnover rate while it did not affect 5-HT metabolism in the striatum. 5. Considering that 5-DA induces a strong hypomotility, which can be partially antagonized by haloperidol or sulpiride administered at low doses, while also decreases the striatal DA turnover rate, it could be suggested that together these findings indicate that this DA lipoamide may be display the characteristics of an antipsychotic agent, acting on the "DA selective" autoreceptors.