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Presynaptic α2A-adrenoceptors inhibit the release of endogenous dopamine in rabbit caudate nucleus slices

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Abstract

α2-Adrenoceptors modulating the release of dopamine were identified and characterized in slices of the head of the rabbit caudate nucleus. Release of endogenous dopamine was measured by fast cyclic voltammetry as the increase in the extracellular concentration of dopamine elicited by electrical stimulation. The electrochemical signal was identified as dopamine by means of the oxidation potential, the voltammogram and the fact that the signal was not changed by desipramine, which inhibits the high affinity uptake of noradrenaline, but was greatly increased by nomifensine, which in addition inhibits the high affinity uptake of dopamine.

Stimulation by 6 pulses/100 Hz increased the extracellular concentration of dopamine by about 85 nM. The selective α2-adrenoceptor agonist 5-bromo-6-(2-imidazolin-2-ylamino)-quinoxaline (UK 14,304) reduced this release with an EC50 of 173 nM and by maximally 75%. The α2-adrenoceptor agonists clonidine and oxymetazoline only tended to cause a decrease. Six drugs, including oxymetazoline, were tested as antagonists against UK 14,304. Their order of antagonist potency (pKD values in brackets) was rauwolscine (8.0) > oxymetazoline (7.5) > 2-(2,6-dimethoxyphenoxyethyl)aminomethyl-1,4-benzodioxane (WB 4101; 7.3) > phentolamine (7.1) > corynanthine (5.1) ≈ prazosin (< 6). Given alone, the antagonists did not change the release of dopamine elicited by 6 pulses/100 Hz, and the same was true for the dopamine receptor antagonist sulpiride. When caudate slices were stimulated by 10 pulses/1 Hz, sulpiride increased the release of dopamine. Desipramine and rauwolscine, in contrast, again caused no change.

It is concluded that dopaminergic axons in the rabbit caudate nucleus possess release-inhibiting α2-adrenoceptors. The antagonist affinities indicate that they belong to the α2A subtype. In this, they agree with all presynaptic α2-autoreceptors studied so far in rabbits as well as with the α2-heteroreceptors modulating the release of serotonin in rabbit brain cortex, suggesting that at least the majority of presynaptic α2-adrenoceptors in the rabbit are α2A. The agonist sensitivity of the caudate presynaptic α2-adrenoceptors is low in comparison with cerebrocortical presynaptic α2-autoreceptors, possibly due to absence of a receptor reserve.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Pharmakologisches Institut, Hermann-Herder-Strasse 5, D-79104, Freiburg i.Br., Germany

    Anne-Ulrike Trendelenburg, Klaus Starke & Norbert Limberger

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  1. Anne-Ulrike Trendelenburg
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  2. Klaus Starke
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  3. Norbert Limberger
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Correspondence to: N. Limberger at the above address

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Trendelenburg, AU., Starke, K. & Limberger, N. Presynaptic α2A-adrenoceptors inhibit the release of endogenous dopamine in rabbit caudate nucleus slices. Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's Arch Pharmacol 350, 473–481 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00173016

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00173016

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