Similar effects of an enkephalin analog on mesolimbic dopamine release and hyperactivity in rats.

The effect of the metabolically stable enkephalin pentapeptide analog, D-Ala2-D-Pro5-enkephalinamide monoacetate (DAP) (WY 42, 186) was studied on amphetamine-induced hyperactive behavior and on dopamine release from tuberculum olfactorium in male, Sprague-Dawley rats. The behavioral results showed that D-Ala2-D-Pro5-enkephalinamide monoacetate did not significantly alter hyperactivity, the mesolimbic component of amphetamine-induced stereotypy. In vivo electrochemical evidence, derived from catecholamine sensitive electrodes, showed that the D-Ala2-D-Pro5-enkephalinamide monoacetate did not significantly alter dopamine release from the tuberculum olfactorium, a mesolimbic terminal brain region. The similarity in the behavioral and biochemical responses of dopamine to the enkephalinamide analog suggests that the behavior and biochemistry may be subserved by similar underlying neural mechanisms.