Pharmacodynamic effects of nicotine and acetylcholine biosynthesis in mouse brain

Nicotine (4; 8 mg/kg) given intraperitoneally to mice had a marked hypothermic effect with a duration of more than 2 hours. Mecamylamine (0.5; 2.5 mg/kg) prevented the hypothermic effect of 2 mg/kg nicotine but had no effect on 4 mg/kg nicotine. Atropine (5 mg/kg) did not affect the hypothermia produced by nicotine. Other symptoms induced by nicotine (0.5-4 mg/kg) were convulsions, rigidity, tremor and decrease in motor activity. Pretreatment with mecamylamine (0.5 mg/kg) prevented convulsions but had only a slight effect on the decreased motor activity. Atropine pretreatment was ineffective. It thus seems as if the effects of nicotine at least to some part are mediated by nicotine-like receptors. When a tracer dose of labelled choline (3H-Ch) was given to mice treated with nicotine (4 mg/kg) a marked increase (+100%) in the biosynthesis of labelled acetylcholine (ACh) in the striatum was found when the animals were killed by decapitation. If the mice were killed by a more rapid technique, microwave irradiation of the head, no change in 3H-ACh formation was observed in comparison to controls. The findings indicate that nicotine can preserve a very labile pool of newly synthesized ACh in the striatum.