The antipsychotic aripiprazole is a potent, partial agonist at the human 5-HT1A receptor

Aripiprazole, 7-{4-[4-(2,3-dichlorophenyl)-1-piperazinyl]butyloxy}-3,4-dihydro-2(1H)-quinolinone, a novel antipsychotic with partial agonist activity at dopamine D2 receptors, bound with high affinity to recombinant human 5-HT1A receptors (h5-HT1A) in Chinese hamster ovary cell membranes and displayed potent, partial agonism at 5-HT1A receptors in a guanosine-5'-O-(3-[S-35]thio)-triphosphate ([S-35]GTPgammaS)-binding assay that was blocked completely by a selective 5-HT1A receptor antagonist. An interaction with 5-HT1A receptors may contribute to the overall efficacy of aripiprazole against symptoms of schizophrenia. including anxiety, depression, cognitive and negative symptoms, and to its favorable side-effect profile. Combined with previous studies demonstrating the potent partial agonism of aripiprazole at dopamine D2 receptors, this study suggests aripiprazole is the first dopamine-serotonin system stabilizer. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.