Evidence for 5-HT1A binding sites in chick embryo brain and discrimination by 5-methoxytryptamine.

The displacement characteristics of [3H]5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT1) binding by several serotonergic ligands were studied in the chick embryo brain. Although most of ligands tested displaced [3H]5-HT in a manner suggestive of a single site, displacement curves for (+/-)-8-hydroxy-dipropylaminotetralin (8-OH-DPAT), 5-methoxytryptamine, 5-methyltryptamine and 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine displayed non-unity Hill plots, suggesting multiple site interactions. However, if spiperone (2 microM) was included in the assays, the Hill coefficients of these compounds were all similarly increased toward unity, suggesting that 8-OH-DPAT as well as 5-methoxy and 5-methyl substituted tryptamines, have a high affinity for and can discriminate 5-HT1A binding sites in the chick embryo brain.