Abstract

Serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) inhibited the formation of cAMP promoted by vasoactive intestinal polypeptide, plus forskolin, in mouse hippocampal and cortical neurons in primary culture. The rank order of potencies of classical 5-HT1 agonists in inhibiting cAMP formation in hippocampal neurons was 8-hydroxy-2-(di-n-propylamino)tetralin (8-OH-DPAT) greater than 5-carboxamidotryptamine (5-CT) greater than d-lysergic acid diethylamide greater than 5-HT greater than 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine (5-MeO-N,N-DMT) greater than RU 24969 greater than ipsapirone greater than bufotenine greater than buspirone [half-maximal efficacy (EC50) = 7, 18, 30, 52, 90, 102, 100, 110, and 128 nM, respectively]. All the tryptamine derivatives substituted in position 5 of the indol were potent agonists [5-HT, 5-CT, 5-MeO-N,N-DMT, 5-methoxytryptamine, and bufotenine], whereas tryptamine, N-methyltryptamine, and N,N-dimethyltryptamine were poor agonists. The most potent antagonists tested were spiperone, (+/-)-pindolol, (+/-)-cyanopindolol, WB4101, and methiothepin, the affinity of spiperone for this receptor being 22 nM. In contrast, ketanserin, a specific 5-HT2 antagonist, and 5-HT3-selective drugs (ICS 205 930 and MDL 72222) were very weak in antagonizing the 5-HT-inhibited cAMP formation. The pharmacological profiles of 5-HT receptors mediating the inhibition of cAMP formation indicate that these receptors correspond to the 5-HT1A-binding site subtypes. Experiments with the Bordetella pertussis toxin indicate that the 5-HT1A receptor mediating inhibition of cAMP production involves a pertussis toxin-sensitive GTP-binding protein. In the absence of VIP, cAMP formation could be stimulated through a 5-HT receptor, but the specific 5-HT1A agonists, 8-OH-DPAT and RU 24969 did not stimulate cAMP production. These results suggest that in mouse embryonic hippocampal neurons, the 5-HT1A receptors, which are negatively coupled to adenylate cyclase, are distinct from the receptor positively coupled to this enzyme. The pharmacological characterization of the 5-HT receptor negatively coupled to adenylate cyclase in mouse embryonic cortical neurons indicates that it differs from the 5-HT1A receptor found in hippocampal neurons. Its main differences with the 5-HT1A receptor in hippocampal neurons are as follows: 1) 8-OH-DPAT was only a poor partial agonist in cortical neurons, whereas it was the best full agonist in hippocampal neurons; and 2) metergoline and methysergide as well as the anxiolytic drugs, ipsapirone and buspirone, which were potent agonists in hippocampal neurons, were competitive antagonists in cortical neurons.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)