Acute Effect of Alcohol and Acute Effect of Alcohol and Nicotine on 5-Hydroxytryptamine Synthesis and Tryptophan Hydroxylase Expression in Dorsal and Median Raphe of Ratson 5-Hydroxytryptamine Synthesis and Tryptophan Hydroxylase Expression in Dorsal and Median Raphe of Rats
Acute Effect of Alcohol and Nicotine on 5-Hydroxytryptamine Synthesis and Tryptophan Hydroxylase Expression in Dorsal and Median Raphe of Rats
- Mi-Hyeon Jang Min-Chul Shin Hyun-Kyung Chang Taeck-Hyun Lee Khae-Hawn Kim Youn-Jung Kim Chang-Ju Kim
- 대한생리학회-대한약리학회
- The Korean Journal of Physiology & Pharmacology
- 제7권 제1호
- 등재여부 : KCI등재
- 2003.01
- 5 - 8 (4 pages)
Alcohol abuse and cigarette smoking have been on the rise worldwide and it has been reported that alcohol and nicotine influence serotonergic neuronal activity in the dorsal raphe. Serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) has been implicated in the pathophysiology of various neuropsychiatric disorders. In the present study, the effects of alcohol and nicotine on the synthesis of 5-HT and the expression of tryptophan hydroxylase (TPH), the rate limiting enzyme of 5-HT synthesis, in the dorsal and median raphe of young rats were investigated via immunohistochemistry. The numbers of the 5-HT-positive and TPH-positive cells in raphe nuclei were reduced by alcohol and nicotine treatment, and these numbers were reduced more potently by co-administration of alcohol and nicotine. Based on the results, it can be suggested that the pathogenesis of alcohol- and nicotine-induced neuropsychological disorders involves alcohol- and nicotine-induced suppression of 5-HT synthesis and TPH expression in raphe, and that this may be of particular relevance in the consumption of alcohol and nicotine during adolescence.