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Amgott-Kwan AT, Zadina JE. Endomorphin analog ZH853 shows low reward, tolerance, and affective-motivational signs of withdrawal, while inhibiting opioid withdrawal and seeking. Neuropharmacology 2023; 227:109439. [PMID: 36709036 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2023.109439] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2022] [Revised: 01/09/2023] [Accepted: 01/24/2023] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Currently available μ-opioid receptor agonist pharmacotherapies for opioid use disorder possess adverse effects limiting their use and, despite treatment, rates of relapse remain high. We previously showed that endomorphin analog ZH853 had no effect in rodent models that predict abuse liability in humans. Here we extended these findings by examining dependence liability and reinforcing properties in female rats and male rats with previous opioid exposure. The potential use of ZH853 in managing opioid use disorder was evaluated by examining its effect on opioid-seeking behavior and withdrawal. We found that ZH853 did not induce locomotor activation in male and female mice and was not self-administered by female rats. Relative to morphine, ZH853 led to similar somatic signs of withdrawal, but low affective-motivational signs of withdrawal, and absent changes in ventral tegmental area K(+)-Cl(-) co-transporter expression associated with reward dysregulation. The low abuse liability of ZH853 was further supported in oxycodone self-administering male rats, where ZH853 substitution extinguished opioid-seeking behavior. ZH853 priming also did not reinstate morphine conditioned place preference. Lastly, ZH853 inhibited oxycodone-seeking behavior during relapse after forced abstinence and decreased the expression of morphine withdrawal. These findings suggest the potential use of ZH853 as a safer opioid medication for long-term treatment of pain and opioid use disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ariel T Amgott-Kwan
- Neuroscience Program, Tulane Brain Institute: 6823 St Charles Avenue, 200 Flower Hall, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, 70118, USA.
| | - James E Zadina
- Neuroscience Program, Tulane Brain Institute: 6823 St Charles Avenue, 200 Flower Hall, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, 70118, USA; Department of Medicine, Tulane University School of Medicine, 1430 Tulane Avenue, New Orleans, LA, 70112, USA; Department of Pharmacology, Tulane University School of Medicine, 1430 Tulane Avenue, New Orleans, LA, 70112, USA; SE Louisiana Veterans Health Care System, 2400 Canal Street, New Orleans, LA, 70119, USA.
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Alvarez-Perez B, Poras H, Maldonado R. The inhibition of enkephalin catabolism by dual enkephalinase inhibitor: A novel possible therapeutic approach for opioid use disorders. Br J Pharmacol 2023; 180:879-893. [PMID: 34378790 DOI: 10.1111/bph.15656] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2021] [Revised: 07/14/2021] [Accepted: 07/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite the increasing impact of opioid use disorders on society, there is a disturbing lack of effective medications for their clinical management. An interesting innovative strategy to treat these disorders consists in the protection of endogenous opioid peptides to activate opioid receptors, avoiding the classical opioid-like side effects. Dual enkephalinase inhibitors (DENKIs) physiologically activate the endogenous opioid system by inhibiting the enzymes responsible for the breakdown of enkephalins, protecting endogenous enkephalins and increasing their half-lives and physiological actions. The activation of opioid receptors by the increased enkephalin levels, and their well-demonstrated safety, suggests that DENKIs could represent a novel analgesic therapy and a possible effective treatment for acute opioid withdrawal, as well as a promising alternative to opioid substitution therapy minimizing side effects. This new pharmacological class of compounds could bring effective and safe medications avoiding the major limitations of exogenous opioids, representing a novel approach to overcome the problem of opioid use disorders. LINKED ARTICLES: This article is part of a themed issue on Advances in Opioid Pharmacology at the Time of the Opioid Epidemic. To view the other articles in this section visit http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bph.v180.7/issuetoc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beltran Alvarez-Perez
- Laboratory of Neuropharmacology, Department of Experimental and Health Sciences, Pompeu Fabra University, Barcelona, Spain
| | | | - Rafael Maldonado
- Laboratory of Neuropharmacology, Department of Experimental and Health Sciences, Pompeu Fabra University, Barcelona, Spain
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Hassan R, Pike See C, Sreenivasan S, Mansor SM, Müller CP, Hassan Z. Mitragynine Attenuates Morphine Withdrawal Effects in Rats-A Comparison With Methadone and Buprenorphine. Front Psychiatry 2020; 11:411. [PMID: 32457670 PMCID: PMC7221179 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2020.00411] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2019] [Accepted: 04/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Opiate addiction is a major health problem in many countries. A crucial component of the medical treatment is the management of highly aversive opiate withdrawal signs, which may otherwise lead to resumption of drug taking. In a medication-assisted treatment (MAT), methadone and buprenorphine have been implemented as substitution drugs. Despite MAT effectiveness, there are still limitations and side effects of using methadone and buprenorphine. Thus, other alternative therapies with less side effects, overdosing, and co-morbidities are desired. One of the potential pharmacotherapies may involve kratom's major indole alkaloid, mitragynine, since kratom (Mitragyna speciosa Korth.) preparations have been reported to alleviate opiate withdrawal signs in self-treatment in Malaysian opiate addicts. METHODS Based on the morphine withdrawal model, rats were morphine treated with increasing doses from 10 to 50 mg/kg twice daily over a period of 6 days. The treatment was discontinued on day 7 in order to induce a spontaneous morphine abstinence. The withdrawal signs were measured daily after 24 h of the last morphine administration over a period of 28 abstinence days. In rats that developed withdrawal signs, a drug replacement treatment was given using mitragynine, methadone, or buprenorphine and the global withdrawal score was evaluated. RESULTS The morphine withdrawal model induced profound withdrawal signs for 16 days. Mitragynine (5-30 mg/kg; i.p.) was able to attenuate acute withdrawal signs in morphine dependent rats. On the other hand, smaller doses of methadone (0.5-2 mg/kg; i.p.) and buprenorphine (0.4-1.6 mg/kg; i.p.) were necessary to mitigate these effects. CONCLUSIONS These data suggest that mitragynine may be a potential drug candidate for opiate withdrawal treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rahimah Hassan
- Centre for Drug Research, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Minden, Malaysia
| | - Cheah Pike See
- Department of Human Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Malaysia
| | - Sasidharan Sreenivasan
- Institute for Research in Molecular Medicine, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Minden, Malaysia
| | - Sharif M Mansor
- Centre for Drug Research, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Minden, Malaysia
| | - Christian P Müller
- Section of Addiction Medicine, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Clinic, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nuremberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Zurina Hassan
- Centre for Drug Research, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Minden, Malaysia.,Addiction Behaviour and Neuroplasticity Laboratory, National Neuroscience Institute, Singapore, Singapore
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4
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García-Carmona JA, Martínez-Laorden E, Milanés MV, Laorden ML. Sympathetic activity induced by naloxone-precipitated morphine withdrawal is blocked in genetically engineered mice lacking functional CRF1 receptor. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol 2015; 283:42-9. [DOI: 10.1016/j.taap.2015.01.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2014] [Revised: 12/10/2014] [Accepted: 01/04/2015] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
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Fadaei-Kenarsary M, Farbood Y, Taghi Mansouri SM, Fathi Moghaddam H. Effects of Venlafaxine & Methadone Alone and in Combination with Spontaneous Morphine withdrawal Syndrome & Pain Sensation in Rats. Basic Clin Neurosci 2015; 6:21-8. [PMID: 27504153 PMCID: PMC4741273] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Methadone has been used as a drug to detoxify opioid tolerance. Naloxane precipitated morphine withdrawal behaviours were attenuated by venlafaxine as an antidepressant. On the contrary, after detoxifying the opioids, spontaneous withdrawal syndrome may occur with pain sensitivity. Therefore the present study aimed to examine the effects of chronic methadone (70 mg/kg, in drinking water, 7 days), venlafaxine (80 mg/kg/day, intraperitoneally, 7 days) and their combinations with the spontaneous morphine withdrawal syndrome and pain sensitivity. METHODS Twenty eight young male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into 4 groups: control, venlafaxine treated, methadone treated and venlafaxine + methadone treated. Morphine sulfate (10 mg/kg/day, subcutaneously, 4 days) was injected to all animals. Then primary withdrawal behaviours and tail flick test were performed. The test was then followed by methadone or its vehicle administration. Second intervention was venlafaxine or its vehicle injection. Then final withdrawal behaviours and tail flick test were performed. RESULTS Combination of chronic methadone substitution and venlafaxine administration, significantly reduced freezing behaviour of spontaneous morphine withdrawal syndrome (P<0.01, 379±144%). Chronic methadone administration (P<0.05, 35±8% difference with venlafaxine treated group) induced hyperalgesia. A positive correlation (P=0.001, +63%) was observed between the animals final freezing scores and their response latencies to the painful stimulus. DISCUSSION Combination of chronic methadone and venlafaxine administrations reduces freezing withdrawal behaviour. Further investigations on analgesic interventions are needed to overcome this hyperalgesia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meisam Fadaei-Kenarsary
- Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences (AJUMS), Ahvaz, Iran,Physiology Research Center, School of Medicine, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran
| | - Yaghoob Farbood
- Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences (AJUMS), Ahvaz, Iran,Physiology Research Center, School of Medicine, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran
| | - Seyed Mohammad Taghi Mansouri
- Physiology Research Center, School of Medicine, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran,Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran
| | - Hadi Fathi Moghaddam
- Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences (AJUMS), Ahvaz, Iran,Physiology Research Center, School of Medicine, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran,Corresponding Author: Hadi Fathi Moghaddam, Ph.D, Address: No. 84, Mehran Street, Melirah Ave, Ahvaz, Iran. Tel:+98 (611) 4456325 Fax: +98 (611) 3332036 P.O. Box: 61357-33118, E-mail:
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Disruption of the CRF(2) receptor pathway decreases the somatic expression of opiate withdrawal. Neuropsychopharmacology 2008; 33:2878-87. [PMID: 18288089 PMCID: PMC2760329 DOI: 10.1038/npp.2008.8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Escape from the extremely aversive opiate withdrawal symptoms powerfully motivates compulsive drug-seeking and drug-taking behaviors. The corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) system is hypothesized to mediate the motivational properties of drug dependence. CRF signaling is transmitted by two receptor pathways, termed CRF(1) and CRF(2). To investigate the role for the CRF(2) receptor pathway in somatic opiate withdrawal, in the present study we used genetically engineered mice deficient in the CRF(2) receptor (CRF(2)-/-). We employed a novel, clinically relevant mouse model of 'spontaneous' opiate withdrawal as well as a classical opioid receptor antagonist (naloxone)-precipitated opiate withdrawal paradigm. To induce opiate dependence, mice were treated with intermittent escalating morphine doses (20-100 mg/kg, i.p.). We found that 8-128 h after the last opiate injection, CRF(2)-/- mice showed decreased levels of major somatic signs of spontaneous opiate withdrawal, such as paw tremor and wet dog shake, as compared to wild-type mice. Similarly, challenge with naloxone 2 h after the last morphine injection induced lower levels of paw tremor and wet dog shake in CRF(2)-/- mice as compared to wild-type mice. Despite the differences in somatic signs, wild-type and CRF(2)-/- mice displayed similar plasma corticosterone responses to opiate dosing and withdrawal, indicating a marginal role for the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis in the CRF(2) receptor mediation of opiate withdrawal. Our results unravel a novel role for the CRF(2) receptor pathway in opiate withdrawal. The CRF(2) receptor pathway might be a critical target of therapies aimed at alleviating opiate withdrawal symptoms and reducing relapse to drug intake.
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7
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Yousif S, Saubaméa B, Cisternino S, Marie-Claire C, Dauchy S, Scherrmann JM, Declèves X. Effect of chronic exposure to morphine on the rat blood-brain barrier: focus on the P-glycoprotein. J Neurochem 2008; 107:647-57. [PMID: 18761714 DOI: 10.1111/j.1471-4159.2008.05647.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Morphine may affect the properties of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) by modifying the expression of certain BBB markers. We have determined the effect of chronic morphine treatment on the expression and function of some BBB markers in the rat. The mRNAs of 19 selected genes encoding caveolins, endothelial transporters, receptors and tight junctions proteins in the total RNA of isolated cortex microvessels were assayed by quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR). The expression of genes Mdr1a, Mrp1, Bcrp, Glut-1 and Occludin, was slightly increased, while that of Flk-1 was decreased in microvessels from morphine-treated rats. The expression of the Mrd1a and Mdr1b genes encoding the P-glycoprotein (P-gp) also increased in the whole hippocampus and cortex of morphine-treated rats. The Mdr1a gene induction (1.38-fold) observed by qRT-PCR was also confirmed using in situ hybridization technique (1.40-fold). Immunoblotting revealed an increase in P-gp expression in the hippocampus (1.8-fold) and cortex (1.36-fold) of morphine-treated rats, but no effect in isolated microvessels. In contrast, morphine treatment increased by 1.48-fold the expression of P-gp in a large vessel-enriched fraction. The integrity of the BBB, measured by in situ brain perfusion of [(14)C]-sucrose, and the activity of P-gp at the BBB, measured with the P-gp substrate [(3)H]-colchicine, were not modified by morphine. Immunohistofluorescence experiments revealed that P-gp expression is restricted to large vessels and microvessels in control rats and that morphine treatment did not induce the expression of P-gp in the brain parenchyma (astrocytes or neurons). Taken together, our results showed that chronic morphine treatment does not significantly alter BBB integrity or P-gp activity. The impact of morphine-mediated P-gp induction observed in large vessels remains to be determined in terms of brain disposition of drugs that are P-gp substrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Salah Yousif
- CNRS, UMR 7157 et Université Paris 7, Neuropsychopharmacologie des addictions, Faculté des Sciences Pharmaceutiques et Biologiques, Université Paris Descartes, Paris, France
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8
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Wilmouth CE, Spear LP. Withdrawal from chronic nicotine in adolescent and adult rats. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2006; 85:648-57. [PMID: 17173961 PMCID: PMC1855282 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2006.10.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2006] [Revised: 10/30/2006] [Accepted: 10/31/2006] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
The purpose of the present experiment is to assess potential differences in nicotine withdrawal in both adolescent and adult rats. Nicotine dependence was induced via osmotic minipump in adolescent rats (releasing 22.2 mg/kg/day on Postnatal Day 28) and adults (release rate of 18.4 mg/kg/day on Postnatal Day 60); differential initial release rates were used across age to compensate for the more rapid weight gain of adolescents. On Day 7 of nicotine exposure, withdrawal was induced via the administration of a nicotinic antagonist, mecamylamine (1.0 mg/kg i.p.), and withdrawal-induced anxiogenesis assessed on the elevated plus maze. On Days 1 and 4 after pump removal, animals were examined for startle responses and prepulse inhibition in an acoustic startle chamber. Adult animals exhibited a nicotine withdrawal-induced increase in anxiety, while adolescents did not. One day following the removal of minipumps, only nicotine dependent adolescent animals exhibited a disruption in prepulse inhibition. Nicotine withdrawal failed to produce an alteration in acoustic startle response in either group. Together these data suggest that ontogenic differences in nicotine withdrawal are dependent on the withdrawal measure examined, with adolescents being less sensitive than adults to anxiety-like symptoms, while being more sensitive to withdrawal-induced cognitive disruption.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carrie E Wilmouth
- Center for Developmental Psychobiology, Department of Psychology, Binghamton University, Binghamton, New York 13902-6000, USA
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Lu L, Chen H, Su W, Ge X, Yue W, Su F, Ma L. Role of withdrawal in reinstatement of morphine-conditioned place preference. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2005; 181:90-100. [PMID: 15739075 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-005-2207-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2004] [Accepted: 01/21/2005] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE Relapse is a major characteristic of drug addiction and the primary problem in treating drug abuse. Based on the negative reinforcement view of addiction, in which the motivation to take drugs is thought to result from the desire to avoid the aversive effect of drug withdrawal, it has been theorized that withdrawal symptoms play a major role in the maintenance of and relapse to drug taking. However, the role of withdrawal in relapse has not yet been systemically investigated in the reinstatement model. OBJECTIVES Using a conditioned place preference (CPP) paradigm, we examined the role of different morphine withdrawal states (spontaneous withdrawal, naloxone-precipitated withdrawal, and conditioned withdrawal) in relapse to drug seeking. METHODS Rats alternately received morphine (10 mg/kg, s.c.) and saline for 8 days to acquire the CPP. The morphine CPP disappeared after a 2-week extinction phase of saline-paired training. Rats were then chronically administered morphine to induce physical dependence. The different withdrawal states were induced and their roles in the reinstatement of extinguished CPP were assessed. During conditioned withdrawal, trunk blood samples were taken and the corticosterone level was measured by radioimmunoassay. To examine the role of corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) receptor antagonist on conditioned-withdrawal-induced reinstatement of CPP, different doses of alpha-helical CRF (0.1 and 1 mug, i.c.v.) were administered 30 min prior to the CPP testing. RESULTS The results show that morphine spontaneous withdrawal and naloxone-precipitated morphine withdrawal were ineffective in reinstatement morphine CPP. However, the withdrawal cues significantly elicited the reinstatement of CPP and increased corticosterone level. Moreover, pretreatment with the CRF receptor antagonist alpha-helical CRF (1 mug, i.c.v.) significantly attenuated the effects of withdrawal cues on reinstatement of CPP and corticosterone levels. CONCLUSION These findings demonstrate that the cues associated with previous drug withdrawal play a major role in drug relapse and that activation of the CRF receptor is involved in conditioned-withdrawal-induced reinstatement. The present study suggests that CRF receptor antagonists might be of value in the treatment and prevention of relapse to drug seeking after long-term abstinence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lin Lu
- National Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and Pharmacology Research Center, Fudan University, 138 Yi Xue Yuan Road, Shanghai 200032, China
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10
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Marie-Claire C, Courtin C, Roques BP, Noble F. Cytoskeletal genes regulation by chronic morphine treatment in rat striatum. Neuropsychopharmacology 2004; 29:2208-15. [PMID: 15199374 DOI: 10.1038/sj.npp.1300513] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
It has been previously suggested that morphine can regulate the expression and function of some proteins of the cytoskeleton. In the present study, we used real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction to examine the effects of chronic morphine administration, in rat striatum, on 14 proteins involved in microtubule polymerization and stabilization, intracellular trafficking, and serving as markers of neuronal growth and degeneration. Chronic morphine treatment led to modulation of the mRNA level of seven of the 14 genes tested. Glial fibrillary acidic protein (Gfap) and activity-regulated cytoskeleton-associated protein (Arc) mRNA were upregulated, while growth associated protein (Gap43), clathrin heavy chain (Cltc), alpha-tubulin, Tau, and stathmin were downregulated. In order to determine if the regulation of an mRNA correlates with a modulation of the expression of the corresponding protein, immunoblot analyses were performed. With the exception of Gap43, the levels of Cltc, Gfap, Tau, stathmin, and alpha-tubulin proteins were found to be in good agreement with those from mRNA quantification. These results demonstrate that neuroadaptation to chronic morphine administration in rat striatum implies modifications of the expression pattern of several genes and proteins of the cytoskeleton and cytoskeleton-associated components.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cynthia Marie-Claire
- Departement de Pharmacochimie Moleculaire et Structurale, Universite Rene Descartes-Paris V, Paris, France.
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11
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Abstract
BACKGROUND Infants placed on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) or mechanical ventilation often need continuous morphine infusions for pain relief and sedation. The resulting physical dependence requires an additional 2-3-week hospital stay to taper the morphine to avoid withdrawal. Buprenorphine effectively blocks abstinence in dependent adults, and in infants it could accelerate or eliminate the tapering schedule, thereby enabling earlier hospital dismissals. METHODS Morphine-dependent infant rats were used in this study to determine the effectiveness of buprenorphine in blocking abstinence. Postnatal day-14 (P14) rats were implanted with osmotic minipumps that delivered saline (1 microl x h(-1)) or morphine (2 mg x kg(-1) h(-1)) for 72 h. The minipumps were then removed to allow the rats to undergo spontaneous morphine withdrawal. RESULTS The withdrawal period lasted approximately 72 h out of a 96-h observation period. The following signs were significant during these hours: wet-dog shakes, 1-72 h; abdominal stretches, 1-72 h; forepaw tremors, 1-24 h; splayed hind-limbs, 1-72 h; ptosis, 4-72 h; and evoked vocalization, 4 and 8 h. A single 1 mg x kg(-1) buprenorphine dose significantly decreased wet-dog shakes from 1 to 72 h, abdominal stretches from 1 to 48 h, forepaw tremors and splayed hind-limbs 1-8 h, and ptosis and evoked vocalization at 4 and 8 h. Repeated administration of 1 mg x kg(-1) buprenorphine before pump removal and at 24, 48 and 72 h resulted in a greater magnitude of blockade of abstinence throughout the 96-h observation period. CONCLUSIONS Buprenorphine may prove to be a suitable drug for treating opioid withdrawal in human infants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dawn C Stoller
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, School of Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
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12
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García-Sevilla JA, Ferrer-Alcón M, Martín M, Kieffer BL, Maldonado R. Neurofilament proteins and cAMP pathway in brains of mu-, delta- or kappa-opioid receptor gene knock-out mice: effects of chronic morphine administration. Neuropharmacology 2004; 46:519-30. [PMID: 14975676 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2003.10.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2003] [Accepted: 10/09/2003] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Opiate addiction is associated with abnormalities of neurofilament (NF) proteins and upregulation of cAMP signaling in the brain, which may modulate neuronal plasticity. This study investigated, using gene-targeted mice lacking mu-, delta- or kappa-opioid receptors, the role of these receptors in modulating the basal activity and the chronic effects of morphine on both intracellular targets. In WT mice, chronic treatment (5 days) with morphine (20-100 mg/kg) resulted in decreases in the immunodensity of neurofilament (NF)-L in the cerebral cortex (14-23%). In contrast, chronic morphine did not decrease NF-L in cortices of mu-, delta-, and kappa-KO mice, suggesting the involvement of the three types of opioid receptors in this effect of morphine. Also, the marked increase in phosphorylated NF-H induced by chronic morphine in WT mice (two-fold) was abolished in mu -KO mice. In cortex and/or striatum of mu-, delta- and kappa-KO mice, the basal immunodensities of Galphai1/2 proteins, the catalytic isoform (Calpha) of protein kinase A (PKA) and the total content of cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB, the nuclear target of PKA) were not different from those of WT mice. In contrast, phosphorylated CREB (the active form of this transcription factor) was reduced in cortex and/or striatum (23-26%) of mu- and delta-KO mice, but not in kappa-KO animals. These results suggest that the endogenous opioid tone acting on mu-/delta-receptors tonically stimulate CREB activation in the brain. In cortex and/or striatum of WT mice, chronic morphine did not induce upregulation of the main components of the cAMP signaling pathway. In contrast, chronic morphine treatment in mu-KO mice, but not in delta- or kappa-KO, resulted in a paradoxical upregulation of Galphai1/2 (12-19%), PKA (19-21%,) and phosphorylated CREB (21-73%), but not total CREB, in cortex and/or striatum. The induction of heterologous receptor adaptations in mu-KO mice may explain this paradoxical effect of morphine.
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MESH Headings
- Animals
- Brain/drug effects
- Brain/metabolism
- Cyclic AMP/metabolism
- Mice
- Mice, Inbred C57BL
- Mice, Knockout
- Morphine/administration & dosage
- Neurofilament Proteins/genetics
- Neurofilament Proteins/metabolism
- Receptors, Opioid, delta/agonists
- Receptors, Opioid, delta/deficiency
- Receptors, Opioid, delta/genetics
- Receptors, Opioid, kappa/agonists
- Receptors, Opioid, kappa/deficiency
- Receptors, Opioid, kappa/genetics
- Receptors, Opioid, mu/agonists
- Receptors, Opioid, mu/deficiency
- Receptors, Opioid, mu/genetics
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Affiliation(s)
- J A García-Sevilla
- Laboratori de Neurofarmacologia, Unitat Associada de l'Instituto de Neurobiología "Ramón y Cajal" (CSIC), Facultat de Ciències, Universitat de les Illes Balears, E-07122 Palma de Mallorca, Spain.
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Abstract
Generation and/or interruption of cell signalling by neuropeptides has been shown to be essentially, although not exclusively, mediated by one or several membrane-bound enzymes, giving rise to the concept of selective versus dual enzyme inhibitors. Because most of these enzymes are zinc metallopeptidases, novel inhibitors are now being designed based on the structure of these proteins. The physiological role of neuropeptides and their relationships with other peptide systems can be investigated by comparing results obtained using peptidase inhibitors and selective receptor antagonists with those obtained using mice in which genes encoding the various components of a peptide system have been deleted. The potential use of peptidase inhibitors, compared with exogenous agonists, as therapeutic agents (particularly as analgesics or antidepressants) and their use in the investigation of the neurobiology of drug abuse will be discussed with particular focus on enkephalins and cholecystokinin 8 (CCK-8).
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Affiliation(s)
- B P Roques
- Département de Pharmacochimie Moléculaire et Structurale, INSERM U266, CNRS UMR8600, Université René Descartes - UFR des Sciences Pharmaceutiques et Biologiques, Cedex 06, Paris, France.
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Abstract
This paper is the nineteenth installment of our annual review of research concerning the opiate system. It summarizes papers published during 1996 reporting the behavioral effects of the opiate peptides and antagonists, excluding the purely analgesic effects, although stress-induced analgesia is included. The specific topics covered this year include stress, tolerance and dependence; eating; drinking; gastrointestinal, renal, and hepatic function; mental illness and mood; learning, memory, and reward; cardiovascular responses; respiration and thermoregulation; seizures and other neurological disorders; electrical-related activity; general activity and locomotion; sex, pregnancy, and development; immunological responses; and other behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- G A Olson
- Department of Psychology, University of New Orleans, LA 70148, USA
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Roques BP, Noble F. Association of enkephalin catabolism inhibitors and CCK-B antagonists: a potential use in the management of pain and opioid addiction. Neurochem Res 1996; 21:1397-410. [PMID: 8947930 DOI: 10.1007/bf02532381] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
The overlapping distribution of opioid and cholecystokinin (CCK) peptides and their receptors (mu and delta opioid receptors; CCK-A and CCK-B receptors) in the central nervous system have led to a large number of studies aimed at clarifying the functional relationships between these two neuropeptides. Most of the pharmacological studies devoted to the role of CCK and enkephalins have been focused on the control of pain. Recently the existence of regulatory mechanisms between both systems have been proposed, and the physiological antagonism between CCK and endogenous opioid systems has been definitely demonstrated by coadministration of CCK-B selective antagonists with RB 101, a systemically active inhibitor, which fully protects enkephalins from their degradation. Several studies have also been done to investigate the functional relationships between both systems in development of opioid side-effects and in behavioral responses. This article will review the experimental pharmacology of association of enkephalin-degrading enzyme inhibitors and CCK-B antagonists to demonstrate the interest of these molecules in the management of both pain and opioid addiction.
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Affiliation(s)
- B P Roques
- Département de Pharmacochimie Moléculaire et Structurale, INSERM U266-CNRS URA D 1500 Université René Descartes, UFR des Sciences Pharmaceutiques et Biologiques 4, Paris, France
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