Summary
The effects of single intraperitoneal injections of nicotine (1 mg/kg) and the sedative-hypnotic drug pentobarbitone (30 mg/kg) alone or in combination have been studied on catecholamine (CA) nerve terminal system of the hypothalamus and the forebrain and on the adenohypophyseal hormone secretion of the normal male rat.
Nicotine produced discrete reductions of dopamine (DA) levels and increases of DA turnover in striatal and limbic areas of the forebrain and increases of amine turnover in different hypothalamic noradrenaline (NA) nerve terminal systems. These effects were all antagonized by simultaneous treatment with pentobarbitone. Pentobarbitone alone, however, did not modulate CA levels or turnover in the various parts of the hypothalamus and forebrain analyzed. On the other hand, pentobarbitone increased GH and prolactin secretion and in association with tyrosine hydroxylase inhibition markedly reduced corticosterone secretion. These effects were partly counteracted by nicotine in the case of GH and prolactin secretion. Furthermore, a positive interaction appears to exist between nicotine and pentobarbitone in their actions on LH secretion.
The results suggest that pentobarbitone can antagonize the actions of nicotine on CA levels and turnover in various CA nerve terminal systems of the brain leading to possible reductions in nicotine induced arousal and positive reinforcement. The neuroendocrine actions of pentobarbitone do not seem to be greatly modulated through nicotinic cholinergic receptors.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Agnati LF, Andersson K, Wiesel F, Fuxe K (1979) A method to determine dopamine levels and turnover rate in discrete dopamine nerve terminal systems by quantitative use of dopamine fluorescence obtained by Falck-Hillarp methodology. J Neurosci Meth 1:365–373
Andén N-E, Corrodi H, Fuxe K (1969) Turnover studies using synthesis inhibition. In: Hooper G (ed) Metabolism of amines in the brain. McMillan, London, pp 38–47
Andersson K, Fuxe K, Eneroth P, Gustafsson J-Å, Agnati LF (1980) Mecamylamine induced blockade of nicotine induced inhibition of gondadotrophin and TSH secretion and of nicotine induced increases of catecholamine turnover in the rat hypothalamus. Acta Physiol Scand 479:27–29
Andersson K, Eneroth P, Agnati LF (1981a) Nicotine-induced increases of noradrenaline turnover in discrete noradrenaline nerve terminal systems of the hypothalamus and the median eminence of the rat and their relationship to changes in the secretion of adenohypophyseal hormones. Acta Physiol Scand 113:227–231
Andersson K, Fuxe K, Agnati LF (1981b) Effects of single injections of nicotine on the ascending dopamine pathways in the rat. Acta Physiol Scand 112:345–347
Andersson K, Fuxe K, Agnati LF, Eneroth P (1981c) Effects of acute central and peripheral administration of nicotine on ascending dopamine pathways in the male rat brain. Evidence for nicotine induced increases of dopamine turnover in various telencephalic dopamine nerve terminal systems. Med Biol 59:170–176
Andersson K, Fuxe K, Eneroth P, Nyberg P, Roos P (1981d) Rat prolactin and hypothalamic catecholamine nerve terminal systems. Evidence for rapid and discrete increases in dopamine and noradrenaline turnover in the hypophysectomized male rat. Eur J Pharmacol 76:261–265
Andersson K, Fuxe K, Eneroth P, Agnati LF (1982) Involvement of cholinergic nicotine-like receptor as modulators of amine turnover in various types of hypothalamic dopamine and noradrenaline nerve terminal systems and of prolaction, LH, FSH and TSH secretion in the castrated male rat. Med Biol 60:98–111
Cocchi D, Casanueva F, Locatelli V, Apud J, Martinez-Campos A, Civati C, Racagni G, Mueller EE (1981) GABAergic mechanisms in the control of PRL and GH release. In: Costa E, Di Chiara G, Gessa GL (eds) GABA and benzodiazepine receptors. Pergamon Press, New York, pp 247–259
Collins GG (1981) Effects of pentobarbitone on the synaptically evoked release of the amino acid neurotransmitter candidates aspartate and GABA from rat olfactory cortex. In: Di Chiara G, Gessa GL (eds) Glutamate as a neurotransmitter. Raven Press, New York, pp 147–156
Eneroth P, Fuxe K, Gustafsson J-Å, Hökfelt T, Löfström A, Skett P, Agnati LF (1977) The effects of nicotine on central catecholamine neurons and gonadotrophin secretion. II. Inhibitory influence of nicotine on LH, FSH and prolactin secretion in the ovariectomized female rat and its relation to regional changes in dopamine and noradrenaline levels and turnover. Med Biol 55:158–166
Falck B, Hillarp N-Å, Thieme G, Torp A (1962) Fluorescence of catecholamines and related compounds condensed with formaldehyde. J Histochem Cytochem 10:348–354
Fanelli RJ, Iadarola MJ, Wilson WA, McNamara JO (1981) Modulation of benzodiazepine and GABA receptors by barbiturates. Abstr Soc Neurosci No. 104, 14, No. 7, pp 314
Fuxe K, Agnati LF, Eneroth P, Gustafsson J-Å, Hökfelt T, Löfström A, Skett P (1977) The effect of nicotine on central catecholamine neurons and gonadotrophin secretion. I. Studies in the male rat. Med Biol 55:148–157
Fuxe K, Andersson K, Schwarcz R, Agnati LF, Pérez de la Mora M, Hökfelt T, Goldstein M, Ferland L, Possani L, Tapia R (1979a) Studies on different types of dopamine nerve terminals in the forebrain and their possible interactions with hormones and with neurons containing GABA, glutamate and opiod peptides. In: Piorier LJ, Sourkes TL, Bédard PJ (eds) Advances in neurology, vol 24. Raven Press, New York, pp 119–214
Fuxe K, Andersson K, Ögren S-O, Pérez de la Mora M, Schwarcz R, Hökfelt T, Eneroth P, Gustafsson J-Å, Skett P (1979b) GABA neurons and their interaction with monoamine neurons. An anatomical pharmacological and functional analysis. In: Krogsgaard-Larsen P, Scheel-Krüger J, Kofod H (eds) GABA-Neurotransmitters. Pharmacochem, biochem pharmacol aspects. Munksgaard, Copenhagen, pp 74–93
Hökfelt T, Rehfeld JF, Skirboll L, Ivemark B, Goldstein M, Markey K (1980) Evidence for coexistence of dopamine and CCK in mesolimbic neurons. Nature 285:476–477
Johnston G, Willow M (1981) Barbiturates and GABA receptors. In: Costa E, Di Chiara G, Gessa GL (eds) GABA and benzodiazepine receptors. Raven Press, New York, pp 191–198
Kato Y, Chihara K, Ohgo S, Imura H (1974) Effect of nicotine on the secretion of growth hormone and prolactin in rats. Neuroendocrinology 16:237–242
König JFR, Klippel RA (1963) The rat brain. A stereotaxic atlas. Robert E. Krieger Publishing Co. Inc. New York
Lidbrink P, Corrodi H, Fuxe K, Olson L (1972) Barbiturates and meprobamate: Decreases in catecholamine turnover of central dopamine and noradrenaline neuronal systems and the influence of immobilization stress. Brain Res 45:507–524
Lodge D, Curtis DR (1978) Time course of GABA and glycine actions on cat spinal neurones: Effects of pentobarbitone. Neurosci Lett 8:125–129
Löfström A, Jonsson G, Fuxe K (1976a) Microfluorimetric quantitation of catecholamine fluorescence of rat median eminence. I. Aspects on the distribution dopamine and noradrenaline nerve terminals. J Histochem Cytochem 24: 415–426
Löfström A, Jonsson G, Wiesel FA, Fuxe K (1976b) Microfluorimetric quantitation of catecholamine fluorescence in rat median eminence. II. Turnover changes in hormonal states. J Histochem Cytochem 24: 430–442
Nilsen OG, Toftgård R, Eneroth P (1980) Effects of acrylonitrile on rat liver cytochrome P-450, benzo(a)pyrene metabolism and serum hormone levels. Toxicol Lett 6: 399–404
Olsen RW, Ticku MK, Greenlee D, Van Ness P (1979) GABA receptor and Ionophore binding sites: Interactions with various drugs. In: Krogsgaard-Larsen P, Scheel-Krüger J, Kofod H (eds) GABA neurotransmitters. Munksgaard, Copenhagen, pp 165–178
Potashner SJ, Lake N (1981) Action of baclofen and pentobarbital on amino acid release. In: Di Chiara G, Gessa GL (eds) Glutamate as a neurotransmitter. Raven Press, New York, pp 139–145
Usdin E, Kopin I, Barchas J (1979) Catecholamines: Basic and clinical frontiers, vol 2. Pergamon Press, New York
Vijayan E, McCann SM (1978) Effects on intraventricular injection of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) on plasma growth hormone and thyroid stimulating hormone in conscious ovariectomized rats. Endocrinology 103: 1888–1893
Wakabayashi I, Arimura A, Schally AV (1971) Effect of pentobarbital and ether stress on serum prolactin levels in rats. Proc Soc Exp Biol Med 137: 1189–1193
Wuttke W, Meites J (1970) Effects of ether and pentobarbital on serum prolactin and LH levels in proestrous rats. Proc Soc Exp Biol Med 135: 648–652
Yamamoto K, Domino EF (1965) Nicotine-induced EEG and behavioural arousal. Int J Neuropharmacol 4: 359–373
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Andersson, K., Fuxe, K., Eneroth, P. et al. Interactions of nicotine and pentobarbitone in the regulation of telencephalic and hypothalamic catecholamine levels and turnover and of adenohypophyseal hormone secretion in the normal male rat. Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's Arch. Pharmacol. 321, 287–292 (1982). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00498515
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00498515