Related Experiment Videos
Metergoline abolishes the prolactin response to buspirone
C A Gregory1, I M Anderson, P J Cowen
1MRC Unit of Clinical Pharmacology, Littlemore Hospital, Oxford, UK.
Psychopharmacology
|January 1, 1990
Summary
Buspirone increases prolactin levels, likely through serotonin 5-HT receptors. Metergoline, a 5-HT receptor antagonist, blocked this effect in healthy subjects, suggesting a serotonin pathway involvement.
Area of Science:
- Neuropharmacology
- Endocrinology
Background:
- Buspirone is an anxiolytic drug with known effects on hormonal systems.
- The precise mechanism of buspirone's effect on plasma prolactin is not fully understood.
- Serotonin (5-HT) pathways are implicated in regulating prolactin secretion.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of serotonin 5-HT receptors in buspirone-induced prolactin increase.
- To determine if blocking 5-HT receptors affects buspirone's impact on plasma prolactin levels.
Main Methods:
- Nine healthy subjects were pretreated with metergoline (4 mg), a non-selective 5-HT receptor antagonist.
- Subjects then received buspirone (15 mg).
- Plasma prolactin levels were measured before and after drug administration.
Main Results:
- Pretreatment with metergoline abolished the increase in plasma prolactin typically observed after buspirone administration.
- This indicates a significant involvement of 5-HT receptors in the prolactin-stimulating effect of buspirone.
Conclusions:
- The findings support a role for serotonin 5-HT receptors in mediating the stimulatory effect of buspirone on plasma prolactin.
- A dopaminergic mechanism cannot be definitively excluded based on this study's data.