Dextrorphan: an antagonist for phencyclidine receptor

Radio-binding assay, bioassay and HPLC detection were used to observe the antagonistic effects of dextrorphan on PCP's actions. Dextrorphan displayed high affinity to PCP receptors and it had weak PCP-like bioactivity, but could antagonize PCP's action dose-dependently in vitro and shift the dose-response curve to the right. PCP increased the contents of norepinephrine in bath medium, which was reversed by dextrorphan. Thus, the results suggest that dextrorphan is a partial antagonist for PCP receptors.