Posted by SLS on November 8, 2009, at 6:58:50
In reply to minserin/mirtazapine may not extend lifespan, posted by linkadge on November 7, 2009, at 20:32:00
I wonder if the antihistaminergic action of mianserin contributed to the findings. Perhaps pure antihistamines have already been tested and determined to be inert in the nematode paradigm? I wonder how they would have isolated 5-HT receptors as the culprits otherwise. After all, H1 receptor blockade results in increased body weight.
I think I found the answer to this dilemma. It is too bad that the authors didn't address this issue in their paper. Like vertebrates, the invertebrate nematode does express histamine receptors. Unlike vertebrates, however, the nematodes do not express metabotropic receptors such as H1, but rather, are limited to expressing ionophore receptors. So, it turns out that H1 receptors can be ruled-out as the pathway through which lifespan is decreased by nematode exposure to mianserin.
- Scott
poster:SLS
thread:924900
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20091107/msgs/924923.html