Activation of mGlu2/3 metabotropic glutamate receptors negatively regulates the stimulation of inositol phospholipid hydrolysis mediated by 5-hydroxytryptamine2A serotonin receptors in the frontal cortex of living mice

The interaction between 5-hydroxytryptamine2A (5-HT 2A) serotonin receptors and metabotropic glutamate (mGlu) 2/3 receptors underlies the antipsychotic activity of mGlu2/3 receptor agonists in experimental animals and humans. The molecular nature of this interaction is only partially known. We here report for the first time that pharmacological activation of mGlu2/3 receptors attenuates the stimulation of polyphosphoinositide (PI) hydrolysis mediated by 5-HT2A receptors in the frontal cortex of living mice. Mice were injected intracerebroventricularly with [myo-3H]inositol and treated with drugs 1 h after a pretreatment with lithium, which blocks the conversion of inositol monophosphate into free inositol. Systemic injection of the mGlu2/3 receptor agonist ( - )-2-oxa-4-aminocyclo[3.1.0]hexane-4,6-dicarboxylic acid (LY379268) inhibited the stimulation of PI hydrolysis induced by the hallucinogenic 5-HT2A receptor agonist (±)-1-(2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodophenyl)-2-aminopropane (DOI)without affecting the stimulation by mGlu1/5 or muscarinic receptors. The action of LY379268 was prevented by the preferential mGlu2/3 receptor antagonist (2S,1′S,2′S)-2-(9-xanthylmethyl)-2-(2′-carboxycyclopropyl) glycine (LY341495). N-(4′-cyano-biphenyl-3-yl)-N-(3-pyridinylmethyl)- ethanesulfonamide hydrochloride (LY566332), a selective mGlu2 receptor enhancer, also reduced DOI-stimulated PI hydrolysis when combined with subthreshold doses of LY379268. Systemic LY379268 inhibited DOI-stimulated PI hydrolysis in mice lacking either mGlu2 or mGlu3 receptors but was inactive in double mGlu2/mGlu3 receptor knockout mice, suggesting that both mGlu2 and mGlu3 receptors interact with 5-HT2A receptors. Surprisingly, contrasting results were obtained in cortical slice preparations, where LY379268 amplified both DOI- and 3,5-dihydroxyphenylglycine-stimulated PI hydrolysis. Amplification was abrogated by the mGlu5 receptor antagonist 2-methyl-6-(phenylethynyl)pyridine, suggesting that experiments in brain slices are biased by an additional component of receptor-stimulated PI hydrolysis. This highlights the importance of in vivo models for the study of the interaction between 5-HT2A and mGlu2/3 receptors. Copyright © 2009 The American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics.