Ikumi Arai (1), Takao Shimazoe (1,*), Shigenobu Shibata (2), Hirotaka
Inoue (1), Akiko Yoshimatsu (1) and Shigenori Watanabe (1)
(1) Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyushu
University 62, Fukuoka 812-82, Japan
(2) Department of Pharmacology, School of Human Sciences, Waseda University,
Tokorozawa, Saitama 359, Japan
(*) To whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract: We studied the roles of metabotropic glutamate receptors
in methamphetamine (MAP)-induced sensitization of dopamine (DA) release
from striatal slices. Rats were first treated with MAP (1 mg/kg, i.p.) once
daily for 6 consecutive days. After a 6-day withdrawal, DA release from
striatal slices evoked by +/--1-aminocyclopentane-trans-1,3-dicarboxylic
acid (trans-ACPD) was measured. trans-ACPD-induced DA release was significantly
enhanced in MAP-sensitized rats, but the inactive form of trans-ACPD (1R,3S-ACPD)
did not enhance DA release. The active form of trans-ACPD (1S,3R-ACPD) (0.1
mM)-evoked DA release was attenuated by treatment with 0.4 mM RS-alpha-methyl-4-carboxyphenyl-glycine,
a metabotropic glutamate receptor antagonist. The present results suggest
that metabotropic glutamate receptors play an important role in expression
of MAP-induced sensitization.
Keywords: Methamphetamine-induced sensitization, Striatal dopamine release,
Metabotropic glutamate receptor