1. In pithed rats,
5-HT mediates
tachycardia both directly (by
5-HT(2) receptors) and indirectly (by a
tyramine-like effect). The receptor mediating
tachycardia directly has been classified as an 'atypical' 5-HT(2) receptor since it was 'weakly' blocked by
ketanserin. Moreover,
1-(2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodophenyl)-2-aminopropane (DOI), a 5-HT(2) agonist, failed to mimic 5-HT-induced
tachycardia. Since 5-HT(2) receptors consist of 5-HT(2A), 5-HT(2B) and 5-HT(2C) subtypes, this study investigated if these subtypes mediate the above response. 2. In pithed rats, intraperitoneally (i.p.) pre-treated with
reserpine (5 mg kg(-1)), intravenous (i.v.) administration of
5-HT,
5-methoxytryptamine (5-MeO-T), 1-(3-chlorophenyl)
piperazine (mCPP) and
5-carboxamidotryptamine (5-CT) (10, 30, 100 and 300 microg kg(-1) each), produced dose-dependent tachycardic responses. Interestingly, DOI (10 - 1000 microg kg(-1), i.v.) induced only slight, dose-unrelated, tachycardic responses, whilst the 5-HT(2C) agonist,
Ro 60-0175 (10 - 1000 microg kg(-1), i.v.), produced a slight
tachycardia only at 300 and 1000 microg kg(-1). In contrast,
sumatriptan and 1-(m-trifluoromethylphenyl)-
piperazine (
TFMPP) were inactive. The rank order of potency was:
5-HT > or =5-MeO-T> mCPP > or =5-CT > or =DOI >
Ro 60-0175. 3. The tachycardic responses to
5-HT, which remained unaffected after i.v. saline (0.3 and 1 ml kg(-1)) or
propranolol (3 mg kg(-1)), were selectively blocked by the 5-HT(2A) antagonists
ketanserin (30 and 100 microg kg(-1)) or
spiperone (10 and 30 microg kg(-1)) as well as by the non-selective 5-HT(2) antagonists,
ritanserin (10 and 30 microg kg(-1)) or
mesulergine (100 microg kg(-1)). Remarkably, these responses were unaffected by the antagonists
rauwolscine (5-HT(2B)),
SB204741 (5-HT(2B/2C)) or
Ro 04-6790 (5-ht(6)) (300 and 1000 microg kg(-1) each). 4. These results suggest that the 'atypical' 5-HT(2) receptors mediating
tachycardia in reserpinized pithed rats are pharmacologically similar to the
5-HT(2A) receptor subtype.