Restricted access to standard or high fat chow alters sensitivity of rats to the 5-HT_2A/2C receptor agonist 1-(2,5-dimethoxy-4-methylphenyl)-2-aminopropane

Abstract

Feeding conditions can impact sensitivity to drugs acting on dopamine receptors; less is known about the impact of feeding conditions on the effects of drugs acting on serotonin (5-HT) receptors. This study examined the effects of feeding conditions on sensitivity to the direct-acting 5-HT_2A/2C receptor agonist 1-(2,5-dimethoxy-4-methylphenyl)-2-aminopropane (DOM; 0.1–3.2 mg/kg) and the direct-acting dopamine D3/D2 receptor agonist quinpirole (0.0032–0.32 mg/kg). Male Sprague–Dawley rats had free access (11 weeks), followed by restricted access (6 weeks), to high fat (34.3%, n=8) or standard (5.7% fat; n=7) chow. Rats eating high fat chow became insulin resistant and gained more weight than rats eating standard chow. Free access to high fat chow did not alter sensitivity to DOM-induced head twitch but increased sensitivity to quinpirole-induced yawning. Restricting access to high fat or standard chow shifted the DOM-induced head twitch dose–response curve to the right and shifted the quinpirole-induced yawning dose–response curve downward in both groups of rats. Some drugs of abuse and many therapeutic drugs act on 5-HT and dopamine systems; these results show that feeding conditions impact sensitivity to drugs acting on these systems, thereby possibly affecting vulnerability to abuse, as well as the therapeutic effectiveness of drugs.