Chlorimipramine, fenfluramine and quipazine decrease 5-hydroxytryptamine synthesis in discrete rat brain nuclei

A procedure for studying 5-hydroxytryptamine synthesis by determining the rate of accumulation of 5-hydroxytryptophan after administering m-hydroxybenzylhydrazine, an inhibitor of aromatic-l-amino acid decarboxylase, and large doses of l-tryptophan was characterized. The utility of this method as an index of 5-hydroxytryptamine neuronal activity was studied by determining the effects on 5-hydroxytryptophan accumulation of direct and indirect 5-hydroxytryptamine agonists; viz, chlorimipramine-a 5-hydroxytryptamine uptake inhibitor, fenfluramine-a 5-hydroxytryptamine releaser, and quipazine-a 5-hydroxytryptamine receptor agonist. In the absence of m-hydroxybenzylhydrazine pretreatment 5-hydroxytryptophan and the dopamine precursor 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine were not readily detectable in any brain region studied. They both accumulated after m-hydroxybenzylhydrazine treatment in a time-dependent manner with the 30 min time point being on the linear portion of the curve. Administration of l-tryptophan 60 min before sacrifice increased 5-hydroxytryptophan, but not 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine, in a dose-related manner with the peak effect occurring after 100-300 mg/kg. Chlorimipramine, fenfluramine and quipazine all decreased 5-hydroxytryptophan, but not 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine, in m-hydroxybenzylhydrazine and l-tryptophan-treated animals. Chlorimipramine produced these effects in a dose-related manner only after l-tryptophan loading and without affecting brain concentrations of l-tryptophan. These results suggest that the measurement of 5-hydroxytryptophan after l-tryptophan administration and aromatic-l-amino acid decarboxylase inhibition might serve as a useful index of 5-hydroxytryptamine synthesis.