Effects of trimethyltin on dopaminergic and serotonergic function in the central nervous system

The effects of trimethyltin (TMT) administration on regional concentrations of dopamine (DA), serotonin (5-HT), and their metabolites were determined. Acute administration of 3 or 7 mg/kg TMT (as the chloride) to adult male Long-Evans rats caused alterations in both dopaminergic and serotonergic function in brain at 7 days posttreatment. Dopamine and 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) concentrations were decreased in the nucleus accumbens of rats treated with 7 mg/kg, with a trend occurring with the 3-mg/kg dose group. Conversely, concentrations of DA or DOPAC were not altered in striatum, olfactory tubercle, septum, or amygdala/pyriform cortex. Administration of 3 mg/kg TMT decreased the concentration of serotonin in striatum and nucleus accumbens, and increased the concentration of 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) in hippocampus. The 7-mg/kg dose resulted in increased concentrations of 5-HIAA in striatum, nucleus accumbens, septum, amygdala/pyriform cortex, and hippocampus, and also decreased the concentration of 5-HT only in amygdala/pyriform cortex. The ratio of 5-HIAA to 5-HT (an indirect estimate of serotonin turnover) was increased in all brain regions of rats treated with 7 mg/kg, and in nucleus accumbens and amygdala/pyriform cortex of rats treated with 3 mg/kg. Conversely, no alteration in the DOPAC to DA ratio was found in any region of brain in rats killed at 7 days, nor was there a change in dopamine receptors (as measured by [3H]spiperone binding) in rats treated with 7 mg/kg TMT and killed 7 days following exposure. Thus, the acute sequelae of TMT neurotoxicity appears to involve primarily serotonergic systems, and these effects may be related to the behavioral effects resulting from TMT administration.