Skip to main content
Log in

m-Chlorophenylpiperazine decreases food intake in a test meal

  • Rapid Communications
  • Published:
Psychopharmacology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

We studied the effect of the 5-HT receptor agonist,m-chlorophenylpiperazine (mCPP) (0.4 mg/kg), on food intake in 12 healthy female volunteers, in a double-blind placebo controlled design. Compared to placebo, mCPP significantly lowered food intake in a test meal. Treatment with mCPP also caused significant increases in ratings of nausea and light-headedness, though these effects had remitted by the time of the test meal. The results suggest that activation of brain 5-HT2C receptors may lower food intake in humans; it is also possible, however, that the hypophagic effect of mCPP in the present study could be a consequence of its adverse subjective side effects.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Blundell JE (1977) Is there a role for 5-hydroxytryptamine in feeding? Int J Obesity 1:15–42

    Google Scholar 

  • Blundell JE, Hill AJ (1991) Appetite control by dexfenfluramine in the treatment of obesity. Rev Contemp Pharmacother 2:79–92

    Google Scholar 

  • Dourish CT (1992) 5-HT receptor subtypes and feeding behaviour. In: Bradley PB, Handley SL, Cooper SJ, Key BJ, Barnes NM, Coote JH (eds) Serotonin, CNS receptors and brain function. Pergammon Press, Oxford, pp 179–197

    Google Scholar 

  • Fuller RW, Snoddy HD, Mason NR, Owen JE (1981) Disposition and pharmacological effects of mCPP. Neuropharmacology 20:155–162

    Google Scholar 

  • Goodall EM, Cowen PJ, Franklin M, Silverstone T (1993) Ritanserin attenuates anorectic, endocrine and thermic responses tod-fenfluramine in human volunteers. Psychopharmacology 112:461–466

    Google Scholar 

  • Hutson PH, Donohoe TP, Curzon G (1988) Infusion of the 5-hydroxtryptamine agonists, RU 24969, and TFMPP into the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus causes hypophagia. Psychopharmacology 97:550–552

    Google Scholar 

  • Kennett GA, Curzon G (1988a) Evidence that hypophagia induced by mCPP and TFMPP requires 5-HT1C and 5-HT1B receptors; hypophagia induced by RU 24969 only requires 5-HT1B receptors. Psychopharmacology 96:93–100

    Google Scholar 

  • Kennett GA, Curzon G (1988b) The antiemetic drug, trimethobenzamide, prevents hypophagia due to acetyl salicylate but not 5-HT1B or 5-HT1C agonists. Psychopharmacology 96:101–103

    Google Scholar 

  • Kennett GA, Curzon G (1991) Potencies of antagonists indicate that 5-HT1C receptors mediate 1–3 (chlorophenyl)-piperazine-induced hypophagia. Br J Pharmacol 103:2016–2020

    Google Scholar 

  • Kennett GA, Wood MD, Glen A, Grewal S, Forbes I, Gadre A, Blackburn TP (1994) In vivo properties of SB 20064A, a 5-HT2C/2B receptor antagonist. Br J Pharmacol 111:797–802

    Google Scholar 

  • Mellow AM, Lawlor BA, Sunderland T, Mueller EA, Molchan SE, Murphy DL (1990) Effects of daily oralm-Chlorophenylpiperazine in elderly depressed patients: initial experience with a serotonin agonist. Biol Psychiat 28:588–594

    Google Scholar 

  • Oldman AD, Walsh AES, Salkovskis P, Laver DA, Cowen PJ (1994) Effect of acute tryptophan depletion on mood and appetite in healthy female volunteers. J Psychopharmacol 8:8–13

    Google Scholar 

  • Samanin R, Mennini T, Ferraris A, Bendotti C, Borsini F, Garattini S (1979)m-Chlorophenylpiperazine: a central serotonin agonist causing powerful anorexia in rats. Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's Arch Pharmacol 308:159–163

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith KA, Oldman AD, Goodall EM, Walsh AES, Williams C, Odontiadis J, Cowen PJ (1994) Effects of metachlorophenylpiperazine on neuroendocrine responses and food intake in healthy female volunteers. J Serotonin Res (in press)

  • Wurtman RJ, Wurtman JJ (1986) Carbohydrate craving, obesity and brain serotonin. Appetite 7[Suppl]:99–103

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Walsh, A.E.S., Smith, K.A., Oldman, A.D. et al. m-Chlorophenylpiperazine decreases food intake in a test meal. Psychopharmacology 116, 120–122 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02244883

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02244883

Key words

Navigation