The Journal of Neuroscience, August 15, 2002, 22(16):7272-7280
Ciproxifan, a Histamine H3-Receptor
Antagonist/Inverse Agonist, Potentiates Neurochemical and Behavioral
Effects of Haloperidol in the Rat
Catherine
Pillot1,
Jordi
Ortiz1,
Anne
Héron1,
Sophie
Ridray1,
Jean-Charles
Schwartz2, and
Jean-Michel
Arrang2
1 Laboratoire de Physiologie, Faculté des
Sciences Pharmaceutiques et Biologiques, 75006 Paris, France, and
2 Unité de Neurobiologie et Pharmacologie
Moléculaire de l'Institut National de la Santé et de la
Recherche Médicale, Centre Paul Broca, 75014 Paris, France
By using double in situ hybridization performed with
proenkephalin and H3-receptor riboprobes on the same
sections from rat brain, we show that histamine H3
receptors are expressed within striatopallidal neurons of the indirect
movement pathway. The majority (~70%) of striatal enkephalin neurons
express H3-receptor mRNAs.
This important degree of coexpression of proenkephalin and
H3-receptor mRNAs prompted us to explore the effect of
H3-receptor ligands on the regulation of enkephalin mRNA
expression in the striatum. Acute administration of ciproxifan, a
H3-receptor antagonist/inverse agonist, did not modify the
expression of the neuropeptide by itself but strongly increased the
upregulation of its expression induced by haloperidol. This
potentiation (1) was suppressed by the administration of
(R)-
-methylhistamine, a
H3-receptor agonist, (2) occurred both in the
caudate-putamen and nucleus accumbens, and (3) was also observed with
a similar pattern on c-fos and neurotensin mRNA expression.
Similarly, whereas it was devoid of any motor effect when used alone,
ciproxifan strongly potentiated haloperidol-induced locomotor
hypoactivity and catalepsy, two behaviors in which striatal neurons are
involved. The strong H3-receptor mRNA expression in enkephalin neurons suggests that the synergistic neurochemical and
motor effects of ciproxifan and haloperidol result from direct H3/D2-receptor interactions, leading to
an enhanced activation of striatopallidal neurons of the indirect
movement pathway. The potentiation of the effects of haloperidol by
ciproxifan strengthens the potential interest of
H3-receptor antagonists/inverse agonists to improve the
symptomatic treatment of schizophrenia.
Key words:
histamine; H3 receptor; ciproxifan; antagonist/inverse agonist; D2 receptor; haloperidol; enkephalin; neurotensin; c-fos; in situ hybridization; catalepsy; locomotor activity
Copyright © 2002 Society for Neuroscience 0270-6474/02/22167272-09$05.00/0