Postnatal lead exposure induces supersensitivity to the stimulus properties of a D 2-D 3 agonist

Abstract

To examine the impact of lead (Pb) exposure during the ontogeny of dopaminergic (DA) systems on resultant DA function, rats were exposed postnatally (0–21 days of age) via the lactating dam to 0, 100 or 350 ppm Pb acetate in drinking water. At 2 months of age, the postnatally Pb-exposed rats were trained to discriminate the stimulus properties of either the D 1 receptor agonist SKF38393 (6.0 mg/kg) or the D 2-D 3 receptor family subtype agonist quinpirole (0.05 mg/kg) from saline using a standard two-lever operant food-reinforced drug discrimination paradigm. In each training group, dose-effect curves describing drug lever responding to lower doses of the training drug and to preadministration of selective DA antagonists were obtained to examine Pb-induced changes in DA sensitivity. Doses of other DA agonists were substituted for the training drug to determine the generality of any changes in DA sensitivity, and doses of non-DA compounds were substituted to determine the specificity of any changes in DA sensitivity. In the D 1/saline training condition, Pb exposure was not associated with any specific or consistent changes in DA sensitivity. In contrast, exposure to Pb was associated with D 2-D 3 receptor subtype supersensitivity as was indicated by significantly elevated levels of drug lever responding in the presence of quinpirole and haloperidol and to at least one dose of apomorphine. No differences in the dose-effect curves for either (+)-amphetamine or NMDA were observed in the D 2-D 3-trained control and Pb-exposed groups, but an increase in drug lever responding in the presence of pentobarbital was noted in the Pb-exposed group relative to control. Taken together, these findings are consistent with a Pb-induced functional D 2-D 3 supersensitivity possibly mediated via autoreceptors. Moreover, this functional D 2-D 3 supersensitivity necessarily represents a permanent effect of postnatal Pb exposure since both blood and brain Pb levels were negligible at the time drug discrimination training began.