Of the various human cloned receptor (HCR) serotonin sub-types, LSD appears to have the highest inhibition constant (Ki) at the 1A receptor, closely followed by 2A, 2B, 2C,

and 5B and 6 (all Kis from PDSP database (National Institute of Mental Health, Psychoactive Drug Screening Program) are between 1 and 10 nM, ie, very potent. The observation that LSD does not usually produce hyperthermia is evidence that this “functional selectivity” has real consequences in humans. Bromocriptine is most potent http://www.selleckchem.com/products/CP-690550.html as a dopamine D2 agonist (HCR Ki ∼3 nM), but less potent than pergolide or cabergoline28 and may slightly increase serotonin levels, perhaps via 5HT-1A receptors. It is approximately equipotent as an agonist at 1A and 1D receptors (HCR Ki ∼10 nM). The most current HCR affinity

data may be viewed at the PDSP website. The evidence that it raises brain 5-HT is from 30 years ago, and has not been subsequently replicated.42 Cases where bromocriptine was thought to have worsened SS were misdiagnosed as neuroleptic malignant syndrome and have been reviewed.21 Any contribution of bromocriptine to SS symptoms or severity seems minor or doubtful. Buspirone is a 5-HT1A partial agonist thought to act mainly via post-synaptic 1A receptors,43 and is thus a weakly serotonergic drug. There is no good evidence it precipitates SS despite LY2109761 years of coadministration with SSRIs and MAOIs. Both pre- and post-synaptic 1A receptors mediate hypothermia,15,44 and the animal “5-HT syndrome” (which does not involve hyperthermia) that these 上海皓元 receptors mediate is quite different from human SS.15 Case reports involving buspirone are unconvincing case reports (discussed in the study by Gillman14 adequately accounted for by the actions of other coingested serotonergic drugs45-52). Triptans are, by partly serendipitous design, agonists at 5HT1B/1D, but not at 2A (or 1A) receptors. Triptans were not initially synthesized for CNS penetration,

which was thought undesirable. Receptor data on most of them are sparse.53 Measured HCR affinities at 5-HT2A receptors are thousands of times less than at 1D (Kis of ∼10 thousand nM vs ∼10 nM), and for 1A receptors hundreds of times less.54-56 There are few data on CNS penetrance, which for sumatriptan is clearly low.57 In rodents given 100 times the usual dose of naratriptan (30 mg/kg), during testing for analgesic properties, no behavioral effects relevant to SS were observed.58 Zolmitriptan shows some CNS penetrance.59 There is no identifiable basis for the FDA statements5 that triptans “increase serotonin levels,” or that there is “biological plausibility” for interactions causing SS. The contrary is the more reasoned initial presumption, namely that there is no biological plausibility for triptans to cause SS, especially because they have no agonist action at 5-HT2A receptors.