To potentially mitigate the anemia resulting from cisplatin therapy, twenty patients with metastatic lung cancer who underwent chemotherapeutic combinations containing cisplatin were randomized to receive chemotherapy alone or chemotherapy plus 5-MT (daily 1 mg/day; oral). Hemoglobin mean-blood concentrations significantly decreased in both groups of patients. However, the decrease in hemoglobin levels observed in patients treated with chemotherapy alone was significantly higher with respect to that observed in patients concomitantly treated with 5-MTT. Moreover, the percent of patients who had no progressive disease on treatment was significantly higher in the group treated with chemotherapy plus 5-MTT.

Brain slices (400 micro-m) from the mid-portion of the hippocampus of male Wistar rats were perfused with artificial cerebrospinal fluid (ACSF) containing Na+ 154 mM, K+ 4.25 mM, CI- 131.5 mM, HCO3- 26 mM, H2PO4- 1.25 mM, Ca 2+ 2.0 mM, Mg 2+ 2.0 mM, SO42- 2.0 mM, glucose 10 mM. ACSF was maintained at 35 deg-C in a 5% CO2 atmosphere at pH 7.4. 3 M KC1 glass microelectrodes (50-180 MY2) were used for intracellular recordings. 5-HT-HCl was dissolved in the ACSF for focal pressure ejection micropipette application. 5-HT was applied as a very small drop into stratum oriens near the soma of the recorded CA1 neurons. Post-spike train afterhyperpolarizations (AHPs) were elicited by 100 ms constant current depolarizing pulses which generated 3-7 spikes. Hippocampal CA1 neurons consistently responded to 5-HT (10 -6 to 10 -4 M) application by producing a rapid-onset hyperpolarization. There were two types of 5-HT evoked hyperpolarization; a long-lasting hyperpolarizing response which, occurred only upon the first application of 5-HT in 65% of cells, and a short-lasting hyperpolarization often with an ensuing depolarization.