[Effect of flunarizine hydrochloride on striatal D-2 dopamine receptors]

Flunarizine hydrochloride (FZ) is used to improve cerebral circulation and possesses Ca antagonistic effects. In recent years, this drug has been reported to induce parkinsonism and depressive symptoms as side effects, particularly in the elderly. Effects of FZ on dopamine receptors of the rat striatum were studied by radiolabeled receptor assay to clarify the mechanism of onset of parkinsonism in response to FZ. FZ was found to directly and competitively affect D-2 receptors without affecting D-1 receptors. Furthermore, the effect of FZ on D-2 receptors was found to be antagonistic based on the finding that the displacement curve for FZ in the binding of [3H]spiperone to D-2 receptors remained unchanged even after the addition of GppNHp. The effect of FZ on the D-2 receptors in aged rats was more marked than that in young-adult rats. In addition, the tertiary structures of FZ and the anti-schizophrenic agents, pimozide and haloperidol, were examined using computer graphics. FZ was found to have a tertiary structure highly analogous to pimozide and haloperidol, and FZ also had an alkyl structure linking a fluorophenyl group and a nitrogen atom, believed to be particularly necessary for the binding of anti-schizophrenic agents to D-2 receptors. These results may contribute to clarifying the mechanism of onset of parkinsonism in response to FZ, especially in the elderly.