The effects of metergoline and other serotonin receptor antagonists on serum corticosterone in rats

Metergoline antagonized the elevation of serum corticosterone by quipazine in rats. The ED50 of metergoline was less than 0.1 mg/kg, ip, and the effects of a 3 mg/kg dose persisted for more than 24 h. Metergoline did not antagonize the elevation of serum corticosterone by theophylline or ketamine (i.e. did not prevent corticosterone release nonspecifically) and did not affect the concentration of quipazine in the brain. Since quipazine is a serotonin receptor agonist, the antagonistic effects of metergoline may have been due to competition with quipazine at serotonin receptor sites in the brain. Some other agents capable of blocking serotonin receptors also antagonzied the elevation of serum corticosterone by quipazine. These included LY53857, which gave complete blockade at 3 mg/kg, and cyproheptadine and spiperone, which gave significant but incomplete antagonism at 1 mg/kg. Methysergide at 3 mg/kg did not alter the effect of quipazine. Metergoline did not antagonize the elevation of serum corticosterone by other agents throught to act via serotoninergic mechanisms, namely fluoxetine, fenfluramine, L-5-hydroxytryptophan, N,N-demthyl-5-methoxytryptamine, and 1-(m-trifluoromethylphenyl)piperazine. Thus, the interactions between metergoline and quipazine may have occurred at receptors that are not serotonin receptors or that represent a subset of serotonin receptors not mediating the actions of serotoninergic agents other than quipazine.