Effect of ritanserin on the interaction of amfonelic acid and neuroleptic-induced striatal dopamine metabolism

In the present study we evaluated the interaction of amfonelic acid (AFA) with the typical neuroleptic haloperidol and the atypical antipsychotic clozapine on rat striatal dopamine metabolism in the absence or presence of the 5HT 2 receptor antagonist ritanserin. In the absence of ritanserin, AFA significantly enhanced haloperidol stimulated 3,4- dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) and homovanillic acid (HVA) accumulation by 36% and 37% respectively above that produced by haloperidol alone. This effect is believed to be due to AFA's ability to facilitate dopamine release produced by the potent haloperidol-induced increase in nigrostriatal impulse flow. In contrast, AFA did not potentiate the ability of clozapine to stimulate DOPAC or HVA. This lack of potentiation could be explained by clozapine's known potent 5HT 2 receptor blocking activity attenuating its stimulatory effects on impulse flow. To test this, we combined ritanserin with haloperidol and again studied the interaction with AFA on dopamine metabolism. In the presence of ritanserin, AFA failed to potentiate the effects of haloperidol on DOPAC or HVA accumulation; an effect similar to that seen with clozapine. This result extends the idea that 5HT 2 receptor blockade modulates nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurotransmission.