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A General Method for Evaluating Deep Brain Stimulation Effects on Intravenous Methamphetamine Self-Administration
Published on: January 22, 2016
Direct subunit-dependent multimodal 5-hydroxytryptamine3 receptor antagonism by methadone
Tarek Z Deeb1, Douglas Sharp, Tim G Hales
1Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, The George Washington University, Washington, DC 20037, USA.
Methadone acts as a 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT)(3) receptor antagonist, affecting both 5-HT(3A) and 5-HT(3AB) subtypes. Its inhibitory effects are subunit-dependent and influenced by voltage, with distinct actions between R- and S-methadone enantiomers.
Area of Science:
- Neuropharmacology
- Molecular Biology
- Medicinal Chemistry
Background:
- 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT)(3A) and 5-HT(3AB) receptors are crucial for rapid neurotransmission.
- Morphine, an opioid, is a known competitive inhibitor of 5-HT(3) receptors.
- Methadone is widely used for opioid dependence treatment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate methadone's potential as a 5-HT(3) receptor antagonist.
- To characterize the subunit-dependent and stereoselective properties of methadone's interaction with 5-HT(3) receptors.
Main Methods:
- Electrophysiological recordings of human homomeric 5-HT(3A) and heteromeric 5-HT(3AB) receptors.
- Inhibition assays using racemic (R/S)-, (R)-, and (S)-methadone with serotonin or dopamine as agonists.
- Voltage-dependence and competitive/insurmountable inhibition analyses.
Main Results:
- Racemic (R/S)-methadone inhibited 5-HT(3A) receptors (IC50 = 14.1 µM) and 5-HT(3AB) receptors (IC50 = 41.1 µM).
- Methadone increased receptor desensitization and exhibited competitive inhibition of 5-HT(3A) and insurmountable inhibition of 5-HT(3AB) receptors.
- (R)-methadone showed greater voltage-dependent inhibition of dopamine-evoked 5-HT(3AB) currents than (S)-methadone.
Conclusions:
- Methadone acts as a multimodal, subunit-dependent antagonist of 5-HT(3) receptors.
- Stereochemistry influences methadone's voltage-dependent inhibitory effects on 5-HT(3AB) receptors.
- These findings reveal novel pharmacological properties of methadone beyond its opioid activity.
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