Effect of Peripheral D2 Dopamine Receptor Antagonist Domperidone on Metabolism, Feeding Behavior, and Locomotor Activity of Rats

Abstract

We studied the possibility of activation of the central dopaminergic system compartment by modulating activity of D2 dopamine receptors in the gastrointestinal tract with domperidone, an antagonist not crossing the blood-brain barrier. Intragastric administration of 0.1 mg/kg domperidone to rats was followed by a significant decrease in feeding behavior and stimulation of basal metabolism, but had no effect on locomotor activity of animals in a Phenomaster system. These effects are typical of psychostimulant agents that stimulate dopamine release from nerve endings in the nucleus accumbens and some regions of the brain cortex. Our results indicate that physiological functions associated with activity of the central dopaminergic system can be modulated through peripheral dopamine receptors.