The effect of N-acetylcysteine on amphetamine-mediated dopamine release in rat brain striatal slices by ion-pair reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography.

The amphetamine (AMPH)-induced alteration in rat brain dopamine levels modified by N-acetylcysteine (NAC) administration has been examined using isocratic ion-pair reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection. The aim of the development of a novel validated evaluation scheme implying a double AMPH challenge was to enhance the efficiency of AMPH-triggered dopamine release measurements in rat brain striatal slices by improving the reproducibility of the results. The proposed experimental protocol was tested in vivo and proved to be capable of fast and reliable drug screening for tracing the effect of NAC as a model compound in AMPH-mediated dopaminergic response. The subcellular localization of the dopamine mobilizing effect of NAC has been established indirectly by the use of an irreversible dopamine vesicular depletor, reserpine. The antioxidant NAC at 10 mM plays an important role in the complete suppression of acute AMPH-elicited dopamine release. The possible role of this quenching effect is discussed.