Chronic haloperidol and clozapine differentially affect dynorphin peptides and substance P in basal ganglia of the rat.

The effect of chronic neuroleptic treatment, using haloperidol or clozapine, on immunoreactive dynorphin peptide and substance P levels in basal ganglia of rats was examined. The drugs were administered i.p. in daily doses for 10 days (haloperidol 1 mg/kg and clozapine 10 mg/kg). Dynorphin A, dynorphin B and substance P were measured in substantia nigra, striatum, globus pallidus and hypothalamus using specific radioimmunoassays. The most prominent effects were observed with with clozapine which increased levels of all measured peptides in substantia nigra. Haloperidol only affected nigral substance P levels which declined, while nigral dynorphin peptide levels remained unchanged. In striatum, haloperidol slightly reduced dynorphin peptides while substance P was unaffected. Clozapine increased striatal substance P but the dynorphin peptides were not affected. Minor changes in dynorphin peptides found in globus pallidus and hypothalamus were not statistically reliable. Substance P was not changed in these structures after either of the two drugs. High molecular weight fragments (greater than or equal to 5,000) from the dynorphin precursor, proenkephalin B, were measured in substantia nigra and striatum using trypsin digestion and subsequent analysis of generated Leu-enkephalin-Arg6. These high molecular weight fragments were found to be affected in the same manner as the dynorphin peptides. This study indicates that the two types of neuroleptic drugs have different modes of interaction on peptide systems in basal ganglia of rats. Dynorphin peptides and substance P were also differentially affected.