Evidence that m-chlorophenylpiperazine-induced hyperthermia in rats is mediated by stimulation of 5-HT2C receptors.

Intraperitoneal administration of m-chlorophenylpiperazine (m-CPP) to Wistar rats produced hyperthermia with a peak effect at 30 min. Pretreatment with low doses of metergoline (5-HT1/5-HT2 antagonist), mesulergine and mianserin (5-HT2C/5-HT2A antagonists) blocked m-CPP-induced hyperthermia. Pretreatment with propranolol (beta-adrenergic receptor antagonist that also has binding affinity for 5-HT1A, 5-HT1B and 5-HT2B sites), yohimbine (alpha 2-noradrenergic antagonist that also has binding affinity for 5-HT2B sites), MDL-72222 or ondansetron (5-HT3 antagonists) did not attenuate m-CPP-induced hyperthermia. Only high doses of ketanserin, LY-53857 and ritanserin (5-HT2A/5-HT2C antagonists) as well as spiperone (5-HT1A/5-HT2A/D2 antagonist) attenuated m-CPP-induced hyperthermia. Daily administration of m-CPP produced complete tolerance to its hyperthermic effect by day 5. However, there was no cross-tolerance to 1-(2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodophenyl)-2-aminopropane (DOI, a 5-HT2A agonist that also has high affinity for 5-HT2C receptors)-induced hyperthermia. m-CPP-induced increases in temperature were found to be significantly less in the Fawn-Hooded (FH) rat strain as compared to the Wistar rat strain; in prior studies, FH rats have been found to be subsensitive to other 5-HT2C-mediated pharmacologic responses. Altogether, these findings suggest that m-CPP-induced hyperthermia in rats is mediated by selective stimulation of 5-HT2C receptors.