Journal of Neuroscience, Vol 6, 2235-2239, Copyright © 1986 by Society for Neuroscience
Blockade of D-2 dopamine receptors strongly enhances the potency of enkephalins to inhibit dopamine-sensitive adenylate cyclase in rat neostriatum: involvement of delta- and mu-opioid receptors
AN Schoffelmeer, HA Hansen, JC Stoof and AH Mulder
The interactions between dopamine receptors and opioid receptors coupled to
adenylate cyclase in rat neostriatum were investigated. cAMP efflux from
neostriatal slices induced by simultaneous activation of (stimulatory) D-1
and (inhibitory) D-2 dopamine receptors with 30 microM dopamine was
inhibited by the preferential delta-opioid receptor agonist [D-Ala2-D-Leu5]
enkephalin (DADLE) and the mu-opioid receptor agonist morphine with an EC50
of 100 and 800 nM, respectively. On selective D-1 receptor activation
(i.e., with D-2 receptors blocked by 10 microM (-)sulpiride), the EC50 of
DADLE was strongly reduced to 3 nM, whereas that of morphine was
unaffected. When D-1 and D-2 receptors were activated simultaneously, the
inhibitory effects of DADLE (0.3 microM) and morphine (3 microM) on cAMP
efflux were antagonized equally well by naloxone, a mu-opioid receptor
antagonist. In contrast, on selective D-1 receptor activation, naloxone was
about 20 times more potent in antagonizing the inhibitory effect of
morphine than DADLE. Moreover, the delta-opioid receptor antagonist ICI
174864 (0.75 microM) did not affect the inhibitory effect of morphine but
antagonized that of DADLE, provided that D-2 receptors were blocked. The
highly selective delta-opioid receptor agonist [D-Pen2-D-Pen5] enkephalin
(DPDPE) inhibited dopamine-stimulated cAMP efflux only when D-2 receptors
were blocked. Similar results were obtained when the agonists SKF 38393 and
LY 141865 were used to activate D-1 and D-2 receptors, respectively. These
data indicate that blockade of D-2 receptors in the neostriatum elicits the
coupling of delta-opioid receptors to dopamine- sensitive adenylate
cyclase, thereby making it considerably more sensitive to inhibition by the
enkephalins.