Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Letter
  • Published:

A simple and sensitive radioreceptor assay for antischizophrenic drugs in blood

Nature volume 270, pages 180–182 (1977)Cite this article

Abstract

THE neuroleptics, comprised primarily of phenothiazines, butyrophenones and thioxanthenes, represent the major drugs used in treating schizophrenic symptoms. For several reasons, routine monitoring of patient blood levels of neuroleptics would be desirable. The dose requirement for therapeutic response varies markedly, related in major part to a wide range in blood levels1–4. Because the severe motor side effect of tardive dyskinesia5 may be very long-lasting and is apparently dose related, patients should be maintained on the lowest dose required for therapeutic efficacy5,6. While blood levels must exceed a threshold to elicit symptomatic improvement, too high a blood level may reduce the therapeutic response7–9. The available assays for plasma neuroleptics, including gas chromatography, fluorimetry, formation of radiolabelled derivatives4,10–14 and radioimmunoassay15,16 have not attained routine clinical use because of technical complexities or restrictions of specificity to single drugs. We describe here an assay for neuroleptics based on competition for dopamine receptor binding which is simple, sensitive, specific and suitable for routine clinical application.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Curry, S. H., Davis, J. M. & Janowsky, D. S. Archs gen. Psychiat. 22, 209–215 (1970).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Garver, D. L. et al. Archs gen. Psychiat. 33, 862–866 (1976).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Cressman, W. A., Bianchine, J. R., Slotnick, V. B., Johnson, P. C. & Plostneiks, S. J. Eur. J. clin. Pharmac. 7, 99–103 (1974).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Forsman, A., Martensson, E., Nyberg, G. & Ohman, R. Nauyn-Schmiedeberg's Arch. Pharmac. 286, 113–124 (1974).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Kobayashi, R. M. New Engl. J. Med. 296, 257–260 (1977).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. American College of Neuropsychopharmacology—F.D.A. Task Force, New Eng. J. Med. 289, 20–23 (1973).

  7. Curry, S. H., Marshall, J. H. L., Davis, J. M. & Janowsky, D. S. Archs gen. Psychiat. 22, 289–296 (1970).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Rivera-Calimlim, L., Nasrallah, H., Straus, J. & Lasagna, L. Am. J. Psychiat. 133, 646–652 (1976).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Garver, D. L., Dekirmenjian, H., Davis, J. M., Cooper, R. & Erickson, S. Am. J. Psychiat. 134, 304–307 (1977).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Usdin, E. CRC Crit. Rev. clin. Lab. Sci. 2, 347–391 (1971).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Marcucci, F., Airoldi, L., Mussini, E. & Garattini, S. J. Chromatogr. 59, 174–177 (1971).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Zingales, I. A. J. Chromatogr. 54 15–24 (1971).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Alfredsson, G., Wode-Helgodt, B. & Sedvall, G. Psychopharmacologia 48, 123–131 (1976).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Rivera-Calimlim, L. & Siracusa, A. Commun. Psychopharmac. 1, 233–242 (1977).

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Kawashima, K., Dixon, R. & Spector, S. Eur. J. Pharmac. 32, 195–202 (1975).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Clark, B. R., Tower, B. B. & Rubin, R. T. Life Sci. 20, 319–326 (1977).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Snyder, S. H., Banerjee, S. P., Yamamura, H. I. & Greenberg, D. A. Science 184, 1243–1253 (1974).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Iversen, L. L. Science 188, 1084–1089 (1975).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Creese, I., Burt, D. R. & Snyder, S. H. Science 194, 481–483 (1976).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  20. Creese, I., Burt, D. R. & Snyder, S. H. Science 194, 546 (1976).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Seeman, P., Lee, T., Chau-Wong, M. & Wong, K. Nature 261, 717–719 (1976).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Creese, I., Schneider, R. & Snyder, S. H. Eur. J. Pharmac. (in the press).

  23. Curry, S. H. J. Pharm. Pharmac. 22, 193–197 (1969).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Bickel, M. H. J. Pharm. Pharmac. 27, 733–738 (1975).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Janssen, P. A. J. & Allewijn, F. T. N. Arzneim. Forsch. 19, 199–208 (1969).

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. Burt, D. R., Creese, I. & Snyder, S. H. Molec. Pharmac. 12, 800–812 (1976).

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Sakalis, G., Chan, T. L., Gershon, S. & Park, S. Psychopharmacologia 32, 279–284 (1973).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. Creese, I., Manian, A. A., Prosser, T. D. & Snyder, S. H. Eur. J. Pharmac. (in the press).

  29. Shostak, M. & Perel, J. M. Fedn Proc. 35, 531 (1976).

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departments of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics and Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, 21205

    IAN CREESE & SOLOMON H. SNYDER

Authors
  1. IAN CREESE
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. SOLOMON H. SNYDER
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

CREESE, I., SNYDER, S. A simple and sensitive radioreceptor assay for antischizophrenic drugs in blood. Nature 270, 180–182 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1038/270180a0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/270180a0

This article is cited by

Comments

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing