Abstract
Phenylpropanolamine (PPA) suppresses appetite in rats via activation of α1-adrenergic receptors within the paraventricular hypothalamus (PVN). The serotonergic (5-HT) agonist fenfluramine (FEN) is thought to suppress appetite via stimulation of 5-HT release within the PVN rather than activation of adrenergic receptors. Whether a mixture of these neurochemically distinct anorexic drugs will serve as an effective appetite suppressant is unknown. In the present experiment, drug-drug interactions between PPA and FEN were explored using an isobologram technique. Fixed doses of PPA (0 vs. 5 mg/kg) were combined with various doses of FEN (1.25, 2.5, and 5.0 mg/kg) and fixed doses of FEN (0 vs. 2.5 mg/kg) were combined with various doses of PPA (0, 5, 10, and 15 mg/kg). Drug combinations were injected IP 30 min before a 1-h feeding trial in 16-h food-deprived rats. PPA and FEN were dose-additive in this paradigm, an outcome that supports the feasibility of a new appetite suppressant composed of a mixture of PPA and FEN.
Original language | English (US) |
---|---|
Pages (from-to) | 287-291 |
Number of pages | 5 |
Journal | Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior |
Volume | 50 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Feb 1995 |
Keywords
- Anorexia
- Feeding
- Fenfluramine
- Paraventricular hypothalamus
- Phenylpropanolamine
- Serotonin
- α-Adrenoceptors
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Biochemistry
- Toxicology
- Pharmacology
- Clinical Biochemistry
- Biological Psychiatry
- Behavioral Neuroscience