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Questions on Receptor Downregulation

GenericMind

Bluelighter
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1) Are receptor sites that get broken down by enzymes replaced over time?

2) Would drugs that inhibit the release of the relevant neurotransmitter encourage receptor replacement faster?
 
Thanks. =D

EDIT: Regarding your answer to #2, are there any pharmaceutical drugs that inhibit the release of Serotonin?
 
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I can't think of a drug that selectively reduces serotonin release, although such a thing should be possible. However, if the goal is to reduce activation of serotonin receptors, the more accessible approach might be to inhibit the production of serotonin (such as with a tryptophan 5-hydroxylase inhibitor or low-tryptophan diet.)

HOWEVER, such interventions are unlikely to be practical. The brain needs a certain level of serotonin activity to function normally; deny it that and you're likely to get all manner of interesting 'withdrawal' symptoms (depression, anxiety, sleep disturbances, etc.)

A more direct (but at this point rather theoretical) method to reverse downregulation might be to create a substance that increased the transcription of the gene that creates the desired receptors, although you might run up against a forest of problems (activating the wrong genes, actually getting it into the brain, etc.) If such a substance could be produced, it might make an effective anti-depressant.
 
5-HT1A agonists like buspirone decrease serotonin release, but then lead to 5-HT1A receptor downregulatoin, which probably mediated a lot of MDMA's effects due to the high affinity of 5-HT1A for serotonin.
 
Tianeptine is a serotonin reuptake enhancer (ie works opposite to SSRIs). It is an effective antidepressant and anxiolytic, not sure how it affects receptor regulation though.

Animal studies have shown chronic treatment with the dopamine reuptake inhibitor GBR12909 (vanoxerine) reversed changes in dopamine receptor levels induced by chronic treatment with cocaine. Hard to say how clinically relevant this would be in humans. Vanoxerine was in Phase 2 trials for treating cocaine addiction but haven't heard any news about it in a while, the trial has been discontinued but not sure whether thats because it was complete and will now move to Phase 3, or because the drug was rejected.
 
Interesting. I wouldn't want to fiddle with Serotonin inhibitors for the reasons DEA mentioned but I was curious all the same. Thanks for the information.
 
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