ONDANSETRON IS A HIGHLY SELECTIVE 5-HT3 RECEPTOR ANTOGONIST WITH POTENT ANTIEMETIC ACTIVITY. WHILE ITS MECHANISM OF ACTION HAS NOT BEEN FULLY CHARACTERIZED, ONDANSETRON IS NOT A DOPAMINE-RECEPTOR ANTAGONIST. SEROTONIN RECEPTORS OF THE 5-HT 3 TYPE ARE PRESENT BOTH PERIPHERALLY ON VAGAL NERVE TERMINALS AND CENTRALLY IN THE CHEMORECEPTOR TRIGGER ZONE OF THE AREA POSTREMA. IT IS NOT CERTAIN WHETHER ONDANSETRON' ANTIEMETIC ACTION IS MEDIATED CENTRALLY, PERIPHERALLY, OR IN BOTH SITES. HOWEVER, CYTOTOXIC CHEMOTHERAPY APPEARS TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH RELEASE OF SEROTONIN FROM THE ENTEROCHROMAFFIN CELLS OF THE SMALL INTESTINE. IN HUMANS, URINARY 5-HIAA (5-HYDROXYINDOLEACETIC ACID) EXCRETION INCREASES AFTER CISPLATIN ADMINISTRATION IN PARALLEL WITH THE ONSET OF EMESIS. THE RELEASED SEROTONIN MAY STIMULATE THE VAGAL AFFERENTS THROUGH THE 5-HT 3 RECEPTORS AND INITIATE THE VOMITING REFLEX.