Mafoprazine, a phenylpiperazine derivative, was neurochemically investigated in rats to determine its action mechanism. The rank order of affinity of mafoprazine for neuronal receptors was D
2≥α
1>S
2>α
2 >> D
1>β>mACh. The affinity of mafoprazine for D
2 receptors (K
i=10.7 nM) was 2 times higher than that of azaperone, and 6 and 16 times lower than those of chlorpromazine and haloperidol, respectively, whereas the D
2 receptor selectivity [D
1/D
2 (K
i value ratio)] of mafoprazine was 10, 9 and 2 times higher than those of chlorpromazine, azaperone and haloperidol, respectively. The affinity of mafoprazine for α
2 receptors in terms of the ratio of the K
i values for D
2 and α
2 receptors (D
2/α
2) was 345, 26 and 3 times higher than those of haloperidol, chlorpromazine and azaperone, respectively. Mafoprazine slightly showed the inhibitory effect on dopamine-stimulated adenylate cyclase (IC50=52300 nM), and it had almost no affinity for β and mACh receptors. Mafoprazine significantly increased dopamine metabolites in the corpus striatum and nucleus accumbens, although to lesser extents as compared with azaperone and chlorpromazine. These results suggest that mafoprazine probably manifests its antipsychotic action mainly through D
2 receptor blocking activity and α-adrenergic activity (α
1 receptor blocking activity and α
2 receptor stimulating activity).
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