Animal experiment:

Thirty-six male Sprague-Dawley rats weighing 180 to 220 g are used in this study. The rats are divided into three groups of 6 each. One group is intraperitoneally injected with Sultopride hydrochloride (100 mg/kg body weight), the second group with sulphide (100 mg/kg body weight), and the third group with normal saline. One hundred minutes after the initial treatments, apomorphine (0.1 mg/kg body weight, dissolved in saline ad libitum) is administered subcutaneously to the three groups, and 20 minutes later the rats are sacrificed. The third group serves as controls[1].

Sultopride hydrochloride is a selective antagonist of dopamine D2 receptor.

Sultopride hydrochloride is a selective antagonist of dopamine D2 receptor. DOPAC and HVA levels in the striatum, the nucleus accumbens and the medial prefrontal cortex are higher in the rats treated with Sultopride hydrochloride and sulpiride than those of the controls. In the striatum, DOPAC and HVA levels are higher in the Sultopride hydrochloride-treated rats than the sulpiride-treated rats (p<0.05). In the nucleus accumbens, DOPAC levels are higher in the Sultopride hydrochloride-treated rats than sulpiride treated rats (p<0.05). In the Sultopride hydrochloride-treated rats, DOPAC and HVA levels are higher in the striatum or in the nucleus accumbens than in the medial prefrontal cortex (p<0.05)[1].

[1]. Moriuchi K, et al. Differences in effects of sultopride and sulpiride on dopamine turnover in rat brain. Neurochem Res. 1995 Jan;20(1):95-9.