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Du H, Lai M, Zhuang D, Fu D, Zhou Y, Chen S, Wang F, Xu Z, Liu H, Wang Y, Xu P, Zhou W. A comparison of reinforcing effectiveness and drug-seeking reinstatement of 2-fluorodeschloroketamine and ketamine in self-administered rats. Front Mol Neurosci 2022; 15:972798. [PMID: 36172262 PMCID: PMC9510746 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2022.972798] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2022] [Accepted: 08/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
2-Fluorodeschloroketamine (2F-DCK), a structural analog of ketamine, has been reported to cause impaired consciousness, agitation, and hallucination in abuse cases. It has similar reinforcing and discriminative effects as ketamine. However, the reinforcing efficacy and drug-seeking reinstatement of this analog have not been clarified to date. In this study, the effectiveness of 2F-DCK and ketamine was compared using a behavioral economics demand curve. The reinstatement of 2F-DCK- and ketamine-seeking behaviors induced by either conditioned cues or self-priming was also analyzed. Rats were intravenously self-administered 2F-DCK and ketamine at a dose of 0.5 mg/kg/infusion under a reinforcing schedule of fixed ratio 1 (FR1) with 4 h of daily training for at least 10 consecutive days. The elasticity coefficient parameter α and the essential value of the demand curve in the two groups were similar. Both groups of rats showed significant drug-seeking behavior induced either by conditional cues or by 2F-DCK and ketamine priming. Moreover, the α parameter was inversely related to the degree of reinstatement induced by cues or drug priming in both groups. In total, the expression levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and phosphorylated cAMP response element-binding protein (p-CREB) in the nucleus accumbens in both extinguished and reinstated rats were significantly lower than those in the control. The expression of total Akt, glycogen synthase kinase (GSK)-3β, mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), and extracellular signal-related kinase (ERK) also decreased, but p-Akt, p-GSK-3β, p-mTOR, and p-ERK levels increased in both extinguished and reinstated rats. This is the first study to demonstrate that 2F-DCK has similar reinforcing efficacy, effectiveness, and post-withdrawal cravings as ketamine after repeated use. These data suggest that the downregulation of CREB/BDNF and the upregulation of the Akt/mTOR/GSK-3β signaling pathway in the nucleus accumbens may be involved in ketamine or 2F-DCK relapse.
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Affiliation(s)
- Han Du
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Addiction Research, Ningbo Kangning Hospital, School of Medicine, Ningbo University, Ningbo, China
| | - Miaojun Lai
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Addiction Research, Ningbo Kangning Hospital, School of Medicine, Ningbo University, Ningbo, China
| | - Dingding Zhuang
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Addiction Research, Ningbo Kangning Hospital, School of Medicine, Ningbo University, Ningbo, China
| | - Dan Fu
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Addiction Research, Ningbo Kangning Hospital, School of Medicine, Ningbo University, Ningbo, China
| | - Yiying Zhou
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Addiction Research, Ningbo Kangning Hospital, School of Medicine, Ningbo University, Ningbo, China
| | - Shanshan Chen
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Addiction Research, Ningbo Kangning Hospital, School of Medicine, Ningbo University, Ningbo, China
| | - Fangmin Wang
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Addiction Research, Ningbo Kangning Hospital, School of Medicine, Ningbo University, Ningbo, China
| | - Zemin Xu
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Addiction Research, Ningbo Kangning Hospital, School of Medicine, Ningbo University, Ningbo, China
| | - Huifen Liu
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Addiction Research, Ningbo Kangning Hospital, School of Medicine, Ningbo University, Ningbo, China
| | - Youmei Wang
- Key Laboratory of Drug Monitoring and Control, Drug Intelligence and Forensic Center, Ministry of Public Security, Beijing, China
| | - Peng Xu
- Key Laboratory of Drug Monitoring and Control, Drug Intelligence and Forensic Center, Ministry of Public Security, Beijing, China
- *Correspondence: Peng Xu
| | - Wenhua Zhou
- Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Addiction Research, Ningbo Kangning Hospital, School of Medicine, Ningbo University, Ningbo, China
- Wenhua Zhou
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Relative reinforcing effects of dibutylone, ethylone, and N-ethylpentylone: self-administration and behavioral economics analysis in rats. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2022; 239:2875-2884. [PMID: 35716192 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-022-06173-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2022] [Accepted: 06/06/2022] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
RATIONALE Following the emergence of methylone as one of the most popular synthetic cathinones, this group of novel psychoactive substance with names ending in "-lone," such as dibutylone, ethylone, and N-ethylpentylone, appeared on the recreational drug market. The pharmacological mechanisms of dibutylone, ethylone, and N-ethylpentylone are well understood; however, to date, the reinforcing effects of dibutylone, ethylone, and N-ethylpentylone are still unclear. OBJECTIVES This study aimed to examine the self-administration of dibutylone, ethylone, and N-ethylpentylone relative to methamphetamine (METH) and to quantify their relative reinforcing effectiveness using behavioral economic analysis. METHODS Male Sprague-Dawley rats were trained to self-administer METH (0.05 mg/kg) under a fixed-ratio 1 (FR1) schedule. Following the training, dose substitution was used to generate full dose-response curves for METH and the three synthetic cathinones. According to the first doses on the descending limb of the dose-response curves, rats were trained to self-administer METH (0.05 mg/kg), dibutylone (0.1 mg·kg-1·infusion-1), ethylone (0.4 mg·kg-1·infusion-1), or N-ethylpentylone (0.1 mg·kg-1·infusion-1) under an FR1 schedule, and a behavioral economic evaluation of their reinforcing effectiveness was then performed. RESULTS Dibutylone, ethylone, and N-ethylpentylone functioned as reinforcers, and the inverted U-shaped dose-response curves were obtained. The rank order of reinforcing potency in this procedure was METH > N-ethylpentylone ≈ dibutylone > ethylone. In the economic analysis, the comparisons of the essential value (EV) transformed from demand elasticity (α) indicated that the rank order of efficacy as reinforcers was METH (EV = 7.93) ≈ dibutylone (EV = 7.81) > N-ethylpentylone (EV = 5.21) ≈ ethylone (EV = 4.19). CONCLUSIONS These findings demonstrated that dibutylone, ethylone, and N-ethylpentylone function as reinforcers and have addictive potential, suggesting that the modification of α-alkyl and N-alkyl side chains may affect their reinforcing efficacy.
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Kangas BD. Examining the effects of psychoactive drugs on complex behavioral processes in laboratory animals. ADVANCES IN PHARMACOLOGY (SAN DIEGO, CALIF.) 2021; 93:243-274. [PMID: 35341568 DOI: 10.1016/bs.apha.2021.09.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Behavioral pharmacology has been aided significantly by the development of innovative cognitive tasks designed to examine complex behavioral processes in laboratory animals. Performance outcomes under these conditions have provided key metrics of drug action which serve to supplement traditional in vivo assays of physiologic and behavioral effects of psychoactive drugs. This chapter provides a primer of cognitive tasks designed to assay different aspects of complex behavior, including learning, cognitive flexibility, memory, attention, motivation, and impulsivity. Both capstone studies and recent publications are highlighted throughout to illustrate task value for two distinct but often interconnected translational strategies. First, task performance in laboratory animals can be utilized to elucidate how drugs of abuse affect complex behavioral processes. Here, the expectation is that adverse effects on such processes will have predictive relevance to consequences that will be experienced by humans. Second, these same task outcomes can be used to evaluate candidate therapeutics. In this case, the extent to which drug doses with medicinal value perturb task performance can contribute critical information for a more complete safety profile appraisal and advance the process of medications development. Methodological and theoretical considerations are discussed and include an emphasis on determining selectivity in drug action on complex behavioral processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian D Kangas
- Behavioral Biology Program, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, United States; Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States.
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Minervini V, Tye CB, Ghodrati S, France CP. Effects of remifentanil/histamine mixtures in rats responding under a choice procedure. Behav Pharmacol 2021; 32:278-285. [PMID: 33491991 PMCID: PMC8119289 DOI: 10.1097/fbp.0000000000000610] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Intravenous drug self-administration remains the 'gold standard' for assessing abuse liability. Failure of a drug to maintain self-administration might indicate the absence of positive reinforcing effects but might also indicate the presence of aversive effects. Sensitivity to aversive and punishing effects of drugs (as well as nondrug stimuli) might collectively determine the likelihood of use, abuse and relapse. Using a choice procedure, this study compared the effects of remifentanil (mu opioid receptor agonist; 0.001-0.01 mg/kg/infusion) and histamine (H1-4 receptor agonist; 0.32-3.2 mg/kg/infusion), alone and in mixtures, to test the hypothesis that remifentanil/histamine mixtures are less reinforcing compared with remifentanil alone and less punishing compared with histamine alone. Male Sprague-Dawley rats (n = 10) chose between an intravenous infusion + a pellet and a pellet alone. Rats were indifferent to saline, chose remifentanil + a pellet over a pellet alone, and chose a pellet alone over histamine + a pellet. The effects of remifentanil/histamine mixtures generally were different from the constituent doses of histamine alone but not from remifentanil alone. A mixture containing 3.2 mg/kg/infusion histamine and either 0.001 or 0.0032 mg/kg/infusion remifentanil was not different from saline but was different from the effects of the constituent dose, insofar as choice increased compared with 3.2 mg/kg/infusion histamine alone and decreased compared with 0.001 or 0.0032 mg/kg/infusion remifentanil alone. Reinforcing doses of remifentanil combined with punishing doses of histamine can yield mixtures that are neither preferred nor avoided, offering 'proof-of-principle' for using drug mixtures to avoid adverse effects of opioid receptor agonists.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Charles P France
- Departments of Pharmacology
- Departments of Psychiatry, The Addiction Research, Treatment and Training Center of Excellence, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, Texas, USA
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Maguire DR, France CP. Interactions between opioids and cannabinoids: Economic demand for opioid/cannabinoid mixtures. Drug Alcohol Depend 2020; 212:108043. [PMID: 32497977 PMCID: PMC7293914 DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2020.108043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2020] [Revised: 04/10/2020] [Accepted: 04/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Opioid abuse remains a significant public health challenge. With continuing emergence of novel psychoactive substances (e.g., synthetic cannabinoids found in "K2" or "spice" preparations), the co-administration of opioids and other novel drugs is likely to become more prevalent, which might increase the risk for abuse and other adverse effects. This study examined whether the synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonist JWH-018 alters the reinforcing effectiveness of the mu opioid receptor agonist remifentanil in rhesus monkeys (n = 4) using economic demand analyses. METHODS Lever presses delivered intravenous infusions of a drug or drug mixture according to a fixed-ratio schedule. For each condition, the ratio progressively increased in quarter-log unit steps across sessions yielding a demand curve: consumption (infusions obtained) was plotted as a function of price (fixed-ratio value). RESULTS When available alone, remifentanil (0.00032 mg/kg/infusion) occasioned the highest consumption at the lowest cost and highest essential value, while JWH-018 (0.0032 mg/kg/infusion) alone occasioned lower unconstrained demand and essential value. Unconstrained demand for a mixture of remifentanil and JWH-018 was lower than for remifentanil alone, but essential value of the mixture was not significantly different from that of remifentanil alone. CONCLUSION These data indicate that synthetic cannabinoids such as JWH-018 might alter some aspects of opioid self-administration (i.e., decreased consumption at the lowest price) but do not enhance reinforcing effectiveness as measured by sensitivity of consumption to increasing costs. Opioid/cannabinoid mixtures do not appear to have greater or lesser abuse potential compared with opioids alone.
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Affiliation(s)
- David R. Maguire
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA.,Addiction Research, Training, and Teaching Center of Excellence, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA
| | - Charles P. France
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA.,Addiction Research, Training, and Teaching Center of Excellence, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA.,Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA
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