PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - M M Foreman AU - R W Fuller AU - K Rasmussen AU - D L Nelson AU - D O Calligaro AU - L Zhang AU - J E Barrett AU - R N Booher AU - C J Paget, Jr AU - M E Flaugh TI - Pharmacological characterization of LY293284: A 5-HT1A receptor agonist with high potency and selectivity. DP - 1994 Sep 01 TA - Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics PG - 1270--1281 VI - 270 IP - 3 4099 - http://jpet.aspetjournals.org/content/270/3/1270.short 4100 - http://jpet.aspetjournals.org/content/270/3/1270.full SO - J Pharmacol Exp Ther1994 Sep 01; 270 AB - (-)-LY293284, (-)-4R-6-acetyl-4-(di-n-propylamino)1,3,4,5- tetrahydrobenz[c,d]indole, is a conformationally restricted tryptamine derivative with an acetyl group serving as a protophilic substitution for the hydroxyl in serotonin (5-HT). In ligand displacement studies, LY293284 had a Ki of 0.07 nM for the 5-HT1A receptor but no affinity for other monoaminergic receptors within 3 orders of magnitude. LY293284 was evaluated in in vivo models, which have been used as markers for presynaptic and postsynaptic 5-HT1A receptor activity. LY293284 decreased hypothalamic 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid levels (ED50, 2.9 micrograms/kg s.c.) and dorsal raphe serotonergic neuron firing rate (ED50, 0.08 micrograms/kg s.c.), which are accepted indices of presynaptic activity. LY293284 also induced a reduction in body temperature in rats (ED50, 3.6 micrograms/kg s.c.), which was blocked by pretreatment with (+/-)-pindolol. Hypothermic responses of rats to 5-HT1A agonists have had both pre- and postsynaptic characteristics in previous studies. The ED50 values for 8-hydroxy-2-(di-n-propylamino)-tetralin (8-OH-DPAT) in these tests were 15 to 45 times higher than those observed for LY293284. In models for postsynaptic activity, the ED50 for LY293284 for elevating serum corticosterone levels was 9.7 micrograms/kg s.c. and the minimum effective doses to induce lower lip retraction and flat posture were 3 micrograms/kg s.c. For comparison, the same indices obtained for 8-OH-DPAT were 222.4 and 100 micrograms/kg, respectively. The 5-HT syndrome responses induced by LY293284 were also attenuated by pretreatment with (+/-)-pindolol. LY293284 was 10 times more potent than 8-OH-DPAT in a drug discrimination test that used pigeons trained to identify 8-OH-DPAT. In sexual behavior tests with male rats, LY293284 induced a maximal reduction in ejaculatory latency at 0.01 micrograms/kg s.c., which was approximately 10 times higher potency than 8-OH-DPAT. In the pigeon conflict model for anxiolytic activity, LY293284 was 100 times more potent than 8-OH-DPAT in increasing punished responding. In the rat forced swim model for antidepressant-like activity, LY293284 was 30 and 35 times more potent than 8-OH-DPAT in decreasing immobility time and defecation rate. These studies have demonstrated that LY293284 is a highly selective and extremely potent 5-HT1A receptor agonist and represents a useful pharmacological tool for studying 5-HT1A receptor-mediated effects.