• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.23-29
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• 1996

Changes in dopaminergic activities were investigated after the intracerebroventricular (icv) administration of ethylcholine aziridium (AF64A) in rats. The levels of dopamine (DA) and metabolites, the activities of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and monoamine oxidase (MAO), and the specific binding sites of dopamine receptros in striata, hippocampus, and frontal cortex were assessed 6 days after the AF64A treatment with 3 nmol/each ventrcle. In frontal cortex, the levels of DA and metabolities were significantly decreased without changes in metabolites/DA ratios in the AF64A-treated groups. In contrast, the ratios of metabolites/DA were significantly decreased in striatum and hippocampus in the AF64A treatment. The activity of TH in frontal cortex was significantly decreased. However, that in other areas was not changed. Also the activity of MAO-A was not changed in the studied brain regions. However, the activity of MAO-B in striatum was significantly increased with no change in other areas. The specific binding sites of dopamine D1 and D2 receptors were increased in AF64A-treated frontal cortex. However, those were not changed in striatum and hippocampus except the small decreased specific binding sites of dopamine D-1 receptors in striatum after AF64A treatment. These results indicate that the dopaminergic activity was altered in AF64A treatment. Furthermore, it suggest that the decreased dopaminergic activities in each brain regions might be differently affected by AF64A treatment.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.23
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• pp.10339-10343
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• 2015

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among females worldwide and a most prevalent malignancy in Iranian women. Chronic stress may make an important contribution to cancer, especially in the breast. Numerous studies showed roles of neurotransmitters in the occurrence and progression of cancers which are mediated by their various types of receptors. This study was conducted to evaluate alterations in the expression profile of dopamine receptor genes in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) as stress factors in breast cancer patients and the human breast cancer cell line (MCF-7). Peripheral blood samples were obtained from 30 patients and 30 healthy individuals. Total mRNA was extracted from PBMC and MCF-7 cells and RT-PCR was performed to confirm the presence of five dopamine receptors (DRD1-DRD5). Expression changes of dopamine receptor genes were evaluated by real time PCR. We observed that DRD2-DRD4 in PBMCs of breast cancer patients were increased compared to healthy individuals. In addition, all dopamine receptor subtypes but DRD1 were expressed in MCF-7 cells. Therefore, alterations of these receptors as stress factors should be assessed for selecting appropriate drugs such as D2-like agonists for treatment of breast cancer after performing complimentary tests. Determining the expression profile of dopamine receptor genes thus seems promising.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.24 no.6
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• pp.613-617
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• 2001

The present study examined the hypothesis that NMDA, AMPA/Kainate, and metabotropic (mGlu) glutamate receptors contribute to a behavioral stimulation induced by activation of dopamine receptors by comparing responses in apomorphine-induced cage climbing behaviors in mice. MK-801, CNQX, and MCPG were served as the NMDA receptor, AMPA/Kainate receptor, and mGlu receptor antagonist, respectively, to elucidate the glutamatergic modulation in apomorphine-induced eopaminergic activation in mice. Drugs were administered intracerebroventricularly (i.c.v.) into the mouse brain 15 min before the apomorphine treatment (2 mg/kg, s.c.). 1.c.v. injection of MK-801 inhibited the apomorphine-induced cage climbing behavior dose-dependently. However, treatments with CNQX and MCPG did not any significant change in apomorphine-induced cage climbing behavior in mice. These results suggest that stimulation of NMDA type of glutamate receptors could contribute to the dopaminergic sti mutation, but not AMPA/Kainate and mGlu type glutamate receptors.

• BMB Reports
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• v.46 no.11
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• pp.519-526
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• 2013

Dopamine (DA) regulates emotional and motivational behavior through the mesolimbic dopaminergic pathway. Changes in DA signaling in mesolimbic neurotransmission are widely believed to modify reward-related behaviors and are therefore closely associated with drug addiction. Recent evidence now suggests that as with drug addiction, obesity with compulsive eating behaviors involves reward circuitry of the brain, particularly the circuitry involving dopaminergic neural substrates. Increasing amounts of data from human imaging studies, together with genetic analysis, have demonstrated that obese people and drug addicts tend to show altered expression of DA D2 receptors in specific brain areas, and that similar brain areas are activated by food-related and drug-related cues. This review focuses on the functions of the DA system, with specific focus on the physiological interpretation and the role of DA D2 receptor signaling in food addiction.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.9-15
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• 1986

The effect of dopamine on the propagation and the frequency electrical activities (slow wave) of the stomach was studied in isolated stomach muscle strips of 145 cats, The gastric slow wave monopolarly recorded by four capillary electrodes (Ag-AgCl) in Krebs-Ringer solution $(ph\;7.4,\;temperature\;36{\pm}0.5^{\circ}C)$ bubbled with 5% $CO_2$ in $O_2$. Dopamine caused concentration-dependent changes of direction of slow wave propagation with decline in development of irregular propagation by domperidone pretreatment. Dopamine also increased the variation of slow wave frequency concentration-dependently. The variation of slow wave frequency induced by dopamine was significantly inhibited by pretreatment with domperidone and phentolamine but not with propranolol, hexamethonium and tetrodotoxin. It is therefore suggested that dopamine plays a role in the genesis of gastric electrical abnormality acting on dopamine receptors and partly on ${\alpha}-adrenergic$ receptors in cats.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.4 no.5
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• pp.361-367
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• 2000

Cocaine functions as indirect dopamine and serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5HT) agonists and induces genomic and behavioral alterations in the striatum. Previously we demonstrated that ritanserin, a 5HT2/1C receptor antagonist, is not responsible for cocaine-induced behavioral alterations and zif268 mRNA gene expression in the striatum (see the previous paper in this issue). In this study, it was hypothesized that dopamine and 5HT2/1C receptors are required for cocaine-induced behavioral alterations and c-fos and zif268 mRNA expression. This hypothesis was addressed by infusing amperozide which antagonizes both 5HT2/1C and dopamine receptors and was analyzed using the quantitative in situ hybridization histochemistry in vivo. Systemic injection of amperozide (5 mg/kg, s.c.) significantly blocked increase in behavior, c-fos and zif268 mRNA expression induced by 15 mg/kg cocaine, i.p., in the dorsal striatum. These data suggest that dopamine and 5HT2/1C receptors are necessary for cocaine-induced behavioral alterations and immediate early gene expression in the dorsal striatum.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.24 no.5
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• pp.517-522
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• 2016

${\beta}$-Arrestins are one of the protein families that interact with G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). The roles of ${\beta}$-arrestins are multifaceted, as they mediate different processes including receptor desensitization, endocytosis, and G protein-independent signaling. Thus, determining the GPCR regions involved in the interactions with ${\beta}$-arrestins would be a preliminary step in understanding the molecular mechanisms involved in the selective direction of each function. In the current study, we determined the roles of the N-terminus, intracellular loops, and C-terminal tail of a representative GPCR in the interaction with ${\beta}$-arrestin2. For this, we employed dopamine $D_2$ and $D_3$ receptors ($D_2R$ and $D_3R$, respectively), since they display distinct agonist-induced interactions with ${\beta}$-arrestins. Our results showed that the second and third intracellular loops of $D_2R$ are involved in the agonist-induced translocation of ${\beta}$-arrestins toward plasma membranes. In contrast, the N- and C-termini of $D_2R$ exerted negative effects on the basal interaction with ${\beta}$-arrestins.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.721-729
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• 2018

GABAergic control over dopamine (DA) neurons in the substantia nigra is crucial for determining firing rates and patterns. Although GABA activates both $GABA_A$ and $GABA_B$ receptors distributed throughout the somatodendritic tree, it is currently unclear how regional GABA receptors in the soma and dendritic compartments regulate spontaneous firing. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine actions of regional GABA receptors on spontaneous firing in acutely dissociated DA neurons from the rat using patch-clamp and local GABA-uncaging techniques. Agonists and antagonists experiments showed that activation of either $GABA_A$ receptors or $GABA_B$ receptors in DA neurons is enough to completely abolish spontaneous firing. Local GABA-uncaging along the somatodendritic tree revealed that activation of regional GABA receptors limited within the soma, proximal, or distal dendritic region, can completely suppress spontaneous firing. However, activation of either $GABA_A$ or $GABA_B$ receptor equally suppressed spontaneous firing in the soma, whereas $GABA_B$ receptor inhibited spontaneous firing more strongly than $GABA_A$ receptor in the proximal and distal dendrites. These regional differences of GABA signals between the soma and dendritic compartments could contribute to our understanding of many diverse and complex actions of GABA in midbrain DA neurons.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.32 no.spc8
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• pp.3101-3104
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• 2011

• Proceedings of the PSK Conference
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• 2002.10a
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• pp.183-185
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• 2002

The discovery of new ligands with affinity and selectivity for the dopamine $D_2$ receptor subtypes is an important area in medicinal chemistry. The distribution of the $D_2$ receptors in the limbic areas of brain suggests that these receptors may be particularly an attractive target for the design of potential selective antipsychotic drugs without causing extrapyramidal side effects. (omitted)