Protein kinase C inhibitors block amphetamine-mediated dopamine release in rat striatal slices

The stimulant drug amphetamine is postulated to enhance dopamine release through the plasmalemmal dopamine transporter by an exchange diffusion with synaptosomal dopamine. Because protein kinase C has been shown to have an effect on dopamine transporter activity, we examined the effect of protein kinase C inhibitors on endogenous dopamine release stimulated by amphetamine in perfused rat striatal slices. At concentrations of 1 microM, the selective protein kinase C inhibitors chelerythrine, Ro31-8220 and calphostin C nearly completely inhibited endogenous dopamine release elicited by 1 microM amphetamine. The inactive analog bisindoylmaleimide V had no effect. Extracellular Ca++ was not required for the effect of the inhibitors. The importance of vesicular dopamine release was examined by determining inhibitor activity in reserpine-treated rats. Dopamine release elicited by 1 microM amphetamine was not significantly altered in reserpine-treated rats compared with control animals. Ro31-8220 at 1 microM completely blocked amphetamine-induced dopamine release in reserpine-treated rats. Activation of protein kinase C with 250 nM of the phorbol ester 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate increased dopamine release, and the release was not additive with 1 microM amphetamine. Both chelerythrine and Ro31-8220 at 1 microM increased [3H]dopamine uptake by 17% and 30%, respectively, whereas a brief exposure to 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate slightly inhibited [3H]dopamine uptake. Our results suggest that amphetamine-mediated dopamine release through the plasmalemmal transporter is highly dependent on protein kinase C activity.