IN ANIMALS, reserpine depletes tissues of catecholamines, -3 reduces the response of smooth muscle to tyramine,4' 5 and potentiates the action of norepinephrine.4 6, The decreased response to tyramine probably results from depletion, since the action of this sympathomimetic amine appears to be mediated through the release of norepinephrine.4-6 The cause of hypersensitivity to exogenous norepine...

B Y COINCIDENCE, reserpine, which is the oldest and weakest, and guanethidine, which is the latest and most potent of the modern antihypertensive drugs, share a common basic pharmacologic action. Both agents lead to depletion of the body stores of norepinephrine and thus, to varying degrees, interference with the function of the sympathetic nervous system.1-4 The precise mechanism by which they...

Earlier we have reported that reserpine, an antihypertensive drug, known to downregulate biogenic amines through inhibition of the vesicular monoamine transporter (VMAT), increases longevity of Caenorhabditis elegans with a high quality of life, namely, enhanced and prolonged mobility (Srivastava et al., 2008). As neurodegenerative diseases are of adult onset, we addressed the protective abilit...

The effect of huperzine A, a reversible and selective acetylcholinesterase inhibitor, on reserpine- or yohimbine-induced spatial working memory deficits in monkeys has been examined using the delayed response task that depends on the integrity of prefrontal cortex. Reserpine (0.1 mg/kg, i.m.) or yohimbine (0.01 mg/kg, i.m.) led to significant impairments in the monkeys' ability to perform the d...

The ability of anticholinergic agents microinjected into the subthalamic nucleus to reduce reserpine-induced muscular rigidity was assessed in rats. The electromyographical activity of the gastrocnemius-soleus muscle was used as a parameter of muscular rigidity. Reserpine (5 mg/kg i.p.) produced the appearance of electromyographical activity. The muscarinic antagonists M3 (1.27 nmol of 4-DAMP) ...

Depressive disorder will be the second highest disease burden worldwide, which will impair life quality, reduce productivity, and increase disability and mortality. LBP is the main active fraction purified from Lycium barbarum. The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential therapeutic effects of LBP on depressive mice induced by reserpine, as well as the relevant mechanisms. The antidepre...

1 The depletion of noradrenaline (NA) in the rat anococcygeus muscle and vas deferens by reserpine and the effect on this of the abolition of nerve activity by pithing and reinforcement of nerve activity by stimulation of the spinal cord outflows has been studied.2 NA depletion of the anococcygeus and vas deferens measured 24 h after reserpine was similar and was related to dose. The heart was ...

The administration of reserpine increases enkephalin content in rat striatum and adrenal medulla. In order to investigate the mechanisms operative in this increase, we have studied in vivo the dynamic state of enkephalin stores by determining the content of proenkephalin mRNA, enkephalin precursors, and enkephalins in rats receiving reserpine. We measured proenkephalin mRNA by using a cDNA prob...

Reserpine-induced catalepsy is an animal model used to mimic the behavioural symptoms of Parkinson’s disease (PD) in experimental animals. The present study was designed to investigate the effect of aqueous and hydro-ethanolic extracts of Sida cordifolia (AESC and EESC respectively), in reserpine-induced orofacial dyskinesia and catalepsy along with lipid peroxidation evaluated by the levels of...