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NEUROPHARMACOLOGY

Interaction with ₁ Protein, but Not N-Methyl-D-aspartate Receptor, Is Involved in the Pharmacological Activity of Donepezil

Unité 710 de l'Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes, Université de Montpellier II, Montpellier, France (T.M., J.M.); Department of Pharmacology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska (B.F., D.T.M.); and Eisai Inc., Teaneck, New Jersey (J.I.)

In the present study, we examined the interaction of (±)-2,3-dihydro-5,6-dimethoxy-2-[[1-(phenylmethyl)-4-piperidinyl]-methyl]-1H-inden-1-one hydrochloride (donepezil), a potent cholinesterase inhibitor, with two additional therapeutically relevant targets, N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) and ₁ receptors. Donepezil blocked the responses of recombinant NMDA receptors expressed in Xenopus oocytes. The blockade was voltage-dependent, suggesting a channel blocker mechanism of action, and was not competitive at either the L-glutamate or glycine binding sites. The low potency of donepezil (IC₅₀ = 0.7–3 mM) suggests that NMDA receptor blockade does not contribute to the therapeutic actions of donepezil. Of potential therapeutic relevance, donepezil binds to the ₁ receptor with high affinity (K_i = 14.6 nM) in an in vitro preparation (Neurosci Lett 260:5–8, 1999). Thus, we sought to determine whether an interaction with the ₁ receptor may occur in vivo under physiologically relevant conditions by evaluating the ₁ receptor dependence effects of donepezil in behavioral tasks. Donepezil showed antidepressant-like activity in the mouse-forced swimming test as did the ₁ receptor agonist igmesine. This effect was not displayed by the other cholinesterase inhibitors, rivastigmine and tacrine. The donepezil and igmesine effects were blocked by preadministration of the ₁ receptor antagonist N-[2-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)ethyl]-N-methyl-2-(dimethylamino) ethylamine (BD1047) and an in vivo antisense probe treatment. The memory-enhancing effect of donepezil was also investigated. All cholinesterase inhibitors attenuated dizocilpine-induced learning impairments. However, only the donepezil and igmesine effects were blocked by BD1047 or the antisense treatment. Therefore, donepezil behaved as an effective ₁ receptor agonist on these behavioral responses, and an interaction of the drug with the ₁ receptor must be considered in its pharmacological actions.

Address correspondence to: Dr. Tangui Maurice, INSERM U.710, EPHE, University of Montpellier II, c.c. 105, place Eugène Bataillon, 34095 Montpellier cedex 5, France. E-mail: maurice{at}univ-montp2.fr