Summary
We found previously that theβ-agonist clenbuterol and theα-agonist clonidine produced hyperthermia in rats kept at high ambient temperature, which effects were mediated byβ- andα 2-adrenoceptors, respectively. In the present paper this observation was used for testing the responsiveness ofβ-orα 2-adrenoceptors, changed by a pharmacological manipulation,i.e., by chronic treatment with antidepressants. The animals were pretreated with desipramine, imipramine or amitriptyline twice a day for 1 or 2 weeks. All antidepressants significantly attenuated the clenbuterol-induced hyperthermia after 2 weeks of treatment. The effect of desipramine was stronger than that of the other antidepressants and appeared as little as 1 week after the treatment. The hyperthermic effect of clonidine was significantly reduced by repeated treatment with desipramine, increased after 2 weeks administration of imipramine, whereas amitriptyline produced no significant changes. In conclusion, these data suggest that, after repeated treatment, the antidepressants tested produce an adaptive decrease in function ofβ-adrenoceptors while the same drugs exert differential effects onα 2-receptors. Moreover, clenbuterol induced hyperthermia may be a useful test for examining possible functional changes inβ-adrenoceptor sensitivity.
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Mogilnicka, E., Klimek, V., Nowak, G. et al. Adaptive and differential changes on β- and α2-adrenoreceptors mediated hyperthermia after chronic treatment with antidepressant drugs in the rat kept at high ambient temperature. J. Neural Transmission 63, 237–246 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01252028
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01252028