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Cuitavi J, Campos-Jurado Y, Lorente JD, Andrés-Herrera P, Ferrís-Vilar V, Polache A, Hipólito L. Age- and sex-driven alterations in alcohol consumption patterns: Role of brain ethanol metabolism and the opioidergic system in the nucleus accumbens. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2024; 244:173845. [PMID: 39098730 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2024.173845] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2024] [Revised: 07/18/2024] [Accepted: 08/01/2024] [Indexed: 08/06/2024]
Abstract
Alcohol consumption leads to significant neurochemical and neurobiological changes, contributing to the development of alcohol use disorders (AUDs), which exhibit sex- and age-dependent variations according to clinical data. However, preclinical studies often neglect these factors when investigating alcohol consumption patterns. In this study, we present data on male and female rats continuously exposed to a 20 % ethanol solution for one month. The animals were divided into two groups based on their age at the onset of drinking (8 and 12 weeks old). Interestingly, 12-week-old males consumed significantly less alcohol than both 12-week-old females and 8-week-old animals, indicating that alcohol consumption patterns vary with sex and age in our model. Additionally, to advance in the study of the neurobiological alterations induced by ethanol intake in the mesocorticolimbic system (MCLS) that may participate in its reinforcing properties and the maintenance of alcohol drinking behavior, we measured catalase activity-an enzyme involved in alcohol metabolism and related to ethanol reinforcement-in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) of these animals. Furthermore, we measured the levels of mu (MOR), kappa (KOR), delta (DOR), and nociceptin (NOP) opioid receptors in the NAc, as the endogenous opioidergic system plays a pivotal role in regulating the MCLS and alcohol reinforcement. MOR levels were lower in high alcohol-consuming groups (8-week-old males and all females). Both DOR and NOP levels decreased with age, whereas KOR levels remained unchanged. Our findings suggest that the age at onset of alcohol consumption critically influences alcohol intake, particularly in males. Additionally, females consistently showed higher alcohol intake regardless of age, highlighting inherent sex-specific differences. The dynamic changes in catalase activity and opioid receptor expression suggest the involvement of these factors in modulating alcohol consumption.
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Affiliation(s)
- Javier Cuitavi
- Department of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Technology and Parasitology, University of Valencia, Burjassot, Spain; Instituto Universitario de Biotecnología y Biomedicina (BIOTECMED), University of Valencia, Burjassot, Spain
| | - Yolanda Campos-Jurado
- Department of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Technology and Parasitology, University of Valencia, Burjassot, Spain
| | - Jesús D Lorente
- Department of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Technology and Parasitology, University of Valencia, Burjassot, Spain; Instituto Universitario de Biotecnología y Biomedicina (BIOTECMED), University of Valencia, Burjassot, Spain
| | - Paula Andrés-Herrera
- Department of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Technology and Parasitology, University of Valencia, Burjassot, Spain; Instituto Universitario de Biotecnología y Biomedicina (BIOTECMED), University of Valencia, Burjassot, Spain
| | - Víctor Ferrís-Vilar
- Department of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Technology and Parasitology, University of Valencia, Burjassot, Spain; Instituto Universitario de Biotecnología y Biomedicina (BIOTECMED), University of Valencia, Burjassot, Spain
| | - Ana Polache
- Department of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Technology and Parasitology, University of Valencia, Burjassot, Spain
| | - Lucía Hipólito
- Department of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Technology and Parasitology, University of Valencia, Burjassot, Spain; Instituto Universitario de Biotecnología y Biomedicina (BIOTECMED), University of Valencia, Burjassot, Spain.
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Esposito-Zapero C, Fernández-Rodríguez S, Sánchez-Catalán MJ, Zornoza T, Cano-Cebrián MJ, Granero L. The rostromedial tegmental nucleus RMTg is not a critical site for ethanol-induced motor activation in rats. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2023; 240:2071-2080. [PMID: 37474756 PMCID: PMC10506920 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-023-06425-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2023] [Accepted: 07/07/2023] [Indexed: 07/22/2023]
Abstract
RATIONALE Opioid drugs indirectly activate dopamine (DA) neurons in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) through a disinhibition mechanism mediated by mu opioid receptors (MORs) present both on the GABA projection neurons located in the medial tegmental nucleus/tail of the VTA (RMTg/tVTA) and on the VTA GABA interneurons. It is well demonstrated that ethanol, like opioid drugs, provokes VTA DA neuron disinhibition by interacting (through its secondary metabolite, salsolinol) with MORs present in VTA GABA interneurons, but it is not known whether ethanol could disinhibit VTA DA neurons through the MORs present in the RMTg/tVTA. OBJECTIVES The objective of the present study was to determine whether ethanol, directly microinjected into the tVTA/RMTg, is also able to induce VTA DA neurons disinhibition. METHODS Disinhibition of VTA DA neurons was indirectly assessed through the analysis of the motor activity of rats. Cannulae were placed into the tVTA/RMTg to perform microinjections of DAMGO (0.13 nmol), ethanol (150 or 300 nmol) or acetaldehyde (250 nmol) in animals pre-treated with either aCSF or the irreversible antagonist of MORs, beta-funaltrexamine (beta-FNA; 2.5 nmol). After injections, spontaneous activity was monitored for 30 min. RESULTS Neither ethanol nor acetaldehyde directly administered into the RMTg/tVTA were able to increase the locomotor activity of rats at doses that, in previous studies performed in the posterior VTA, were effective in increasing motor activities. However, microinjections of 0.13 nmol of DAMGO into the tVTA/RMTg significantly increased the locomotor activity of rats. These activating effects were reduced by local pre-treatment of rats with beta-FNA (2.5 nmol). CONCLUSIONS The tVTA/RMTg does not appear to be a key brain region for the disinhibiting action of ethanol on VTA DA neurons. The absence of dopamine in the tVTA/RMTg extracellular medium, the lack of local ethanol metabolism or both could explain the present results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Esposito-Zapero
- Departament de Farmàcia i Tecnologia Farmacèutica i Parasitologia, Facultat de Farmàcia, Universitat de València, Burjassot, Spain
| | - Sandra Fernández-Rodríguez
- Departament de Farmàcia i Tecnologia Farmacèutica i Parasitologia, Facultat de Farmàcia, Universitat de València, Burjassot, Spain
| | - María José Sánchez-Catalán
- Lab of Functional Neuroanatomy (NeuroFun-UJI-UV), Unitat Predepartamental de Medicina, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universitat Jaume I, Castellón de la Plana, Spain
| | - Teodoro Zornoza
- Departament de Farmàcia i Tecnologia Farmacèutica i Parasitologia, Facultat de Farmàcia, Universitat de València, Burjassot, Spain
| | - María José Cano-Cebrián
- Departament de Farmàcia i Tecnologia Farmacèutica i Parasitologia, Facultat de Farmàcia, Universitat de València, Burjassot, Spain.
| | - Luis Granero
- Departament de Farmàcia i Tecnologia Farmacèutica i Parasitologia, Facultat de Farmàcia, Universitat de València, Burjassot, Spain.
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Campos-Jurado Y, Martí-Prats L, Morón JA, Polache A, Granero L, Hipólito L. Dose-dependent induction of CPP or CPA by intra-pVTA ethanol: Role of mu opioid receptors and effects on NMDA receptors. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2020; 100:109875. [PMID: 31978422 PMCID: PMC7096259 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2020.109875] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2019] [Revised: 01/16/2020] [Accepted: 01/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
The neurobiological mechanisms underlying alcohol motivational properties are still not fully understood, however, the mu-opioid receptors (MORs) have been evidenced as central elements in the manifestation of the alcohol reinforcing properties. Drug-associated environmental stimuli can trigger alcohol relapse and promote alcohol consumption whereby N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptors play a pivotal role. Here we sought to demonstrate, for the first time, that ethanol induces conditioned place preference or aversion (CPP or CPA) when administered locally into the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and the associated role of MORs. We further analyzed the changes in the expression and mRNA levels of GluN1 and GluN2A subunits in designated brain areas. The expression of CPP or CPA was characterized following intra-VTA ethanol administration and we showed that either reinforcing (CPP) or aversive (CPA) properties are dependent on the dose administered (ranging here from 35 to 300 nmol). Furthermore, the critical contribution of local MORs in the acquisition of CPP was revealed by a selective antagonist, namely β-Funaltrexamine. Finally, modifications of the expression of NMDA receptor subunits in the Nucleus Accumbens (NAc) and Hippocampus after ethanol-induced CPP were analyzed at the proteomic and transcriptomic levels by western blot and In Situ Hybridation RNAscope techniques, respectively. Results showed that the mRNA levels of GluN2A but not GluN1 in NAc are higher after ethanol CPP. These novel results pave the way for further characterisation of the mechanisms by which ethanol motivational properties are associated with learned environmental cues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yolanda Campos-Jurado
- Department of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Tech. and Parasit., University of València, Spain
| | - Lucía Martí-Prats
- Department of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Tech. and Parasit., University of València, Spain
| | - Jose A Morón
- Department of Anesthesiology, Washington University Pain Center, Washington University in St. Louis, School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA; Department of Neuroscience, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Ana Polache
- Department of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Tech. and Parasit., University of València, Spain
| | - Luis Granero
- Department of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Tech. and Parasit., University of València, Spain
| | - Lucía Hipólito
- Department of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Tech. and Parasit., University of València, Spain.
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Impaired alcohol-induced dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens in an inflammatory pain model: behavioral implications in male rats. Pain 2020; 161:2203-2211. [DOI: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000001915] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2020] [Accepted: 03/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
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Acetaldehyde Induces Neurotoxicity In Vitro via Oxidative Stress- and Ca 2+ Imbalance-Mediated Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress. OXIDATIVE MEDICINE AND CELLULAR LONGEVITY 2019; 2019:2593742. [PMID: 30728884 PMCID: PMC6343137 DOI: 10.1155/2019/2593742] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2018] [Accepted: 11/13/2018] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Excessive drinking can damage brain tissue and cause cognitive dysfunction. Studies have found that the early stage of neurodegenerative disease is closely related to heavy drinking. Acetaldehyde (ADE) is the main toxic metabolite of alcohol. However, the exact mechanisms of ADE-induced neurotoxicity are not fully clear. In this article, we studied the cytotoxic effect of ADE in HT22 cells and primary cultured cortical neuronal cells. We found that ADE exhibited cytotoxicities against HT22 cells and primary cultured cortical neuronal cells in dose-dependent manners. Furthermore, ADE induced apoptosis of HT22 cells by upregulating the expression of caspase family proapoptotic proteins. Moreover, ADE treatment could significantly increase the intracellular Ca2+ and reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels and activate endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) in HT22 cells. ADE upregulated ERS-related CHOP expression dose-dependently in primary cultured cortical neuronal cells. In addition, inhibition of ROS with antioxidant N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) reduced the accumulation of ROS and reversed ADE-induced increase of ERS-related protein and apoptosis-related protein levels. Mitigation of ERS with ERS inhibitor 4-PBA obviously suppressed ADE-induced apoptosis and the expression of ERS-related proteins. Therefore, ADE induces neurotoxicity of HT22 cells via oxidative stress- and Ca2+ imbalance-mediated ERS.
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Adrenergic Receptor Agonists’ Modulation of Dopaminergic and Non-dopaminergic Neurons in the Ventral Tegmental Area. Neuroscience 2018; 375:119-134. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2017.11.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2017] [Revised: 10/30/2017] [Accepted: 11/01/2017] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
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López-Arnau R, Buenrostro-Jáuregui M, Muñoz-Villegas P, Rodríguez-Morató J, Ciudad-Roberts A, Duart L, Camarasa J, De la Torre R, Pubill D, Escubedo E. The combination of MDPV and ethanol results in decreased cathinone and increased alcohol levels. Study of such pharmacological interaction. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2017; 76:19-28. [PMID: 28219712 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2017.02.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2016] [Revised: 02/14/2017] [Accepted: 02/16/2017] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV) is a new psychostimulant cathinone acting as a selective dopamine transporter blocker. Due to the concomitant consumption of ethanol (EtOH) and new psychoactive substances, it is of interest to explore a possible pharmacological interaction between MDPV and EtOH. In locomotor activity assays, EtOH (1g/kg i.p.) elicited a reduction in the stimulant effect induced by low doses of MDPV (0.1-0.3mg/kg, s.c.) in rats, jointly with a decrease in blood and brain MDPV concentrations. Experiments in rat liver microsomes showed different effects depending on the [MDPV]/[EtOH] relationship, evidencing, at certain concentrations, the enhancing effect of EtOH on MDPV metabolism. These suggest that EtOH interacts with MDPV at microsomal level, increasing its metabolic rate. The interaction between both substances was also supported by results in plasma EtOH concentration, which were significantly increased by MDPV, in such a manner that EtOH elimination rate was significantly reduced. The possible toxicological impact of this phenomenon deserves further investigation. In contrast, the rewarding properties of MDPV were unaltered by EtOH. Microdialysis experiments verified that, in the NAcc, both substances could also act synergistically, in such a manner that extracellular dopamine concentrations are maintained. Finally, if the psychostimulant effect induced by MDPV decreased with EtOH, it could favor the boosting and re-dosing in search of the desired effects. However, as the rewarding effect of each dose of the substance would not decrease, the addictive liability could increase considerably. Moreover, we must warn about the increase in EtOH concentrations when consumed concomitantly with MDPV.
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Affiliation(s)
- R López-Arnau
- Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology and Therapeutic Chemistry, Pharmacology Section, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; Institute of Biomedicine (IBUB), Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - M Buenrostro-Jáuregui
- Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology and Therapeutic Chemistry, Pharmacology Section, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; Institute of Biomedicine (IBUB), Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; Department of Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University Enrique Díaz de León, Guadalajara, Mexico
| | - P Muñoz-Villegas
- Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology and Therapeutic Chemistry, Pharmacology Section, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; Institute of Biomedicine (IBUB), Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - J Rodríguez-Morató
- Integrative Pharmacology and Systems Neuroscience, IMIM (Hospital del Mar Research Institute), Barcelona, Spain; Department of Experimental and Health Sciences, Universitat Pompeu Fabra (CEXS-UPF), Barcelona, Spain
| | - A Ciudad-Roberts
- Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology and Therapeutic Chemistry, Pharmacology Section, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; Institute of Biomedicine (IBUB), Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - L Duart
- Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology and Therapeutic Chemistry, Pharmacology Section, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; Institute of Biomedicine (IBUB), Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - J Camarasa
- Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology and Therapeutic Chemistry, Pharmacology Section, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; Institute of Biomedicine (IBUB), Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - R De la Torre
- Integrative Pharmacology and Systems Neuroscience, IMIM (Hospital del Mar Research Institute), Barcelona, Spain; Department of Experimental and Health Sciences, Universitat Pompeu Fabra (CEXS-UPF), Barcelona, Spain; Spanish Biomedical Research Centre in Physiopathology of Obesity and Nutrition (CIBEROBN), Instituto Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - D Pubill
- Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology and Therapeutic Chemistry, Pharmacology Section, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; Institute of Biomedicine (IBUB), Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - E Escubedo
- Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology and Therapeutic Chemistry, Pharmacology Section, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; Institute of Biomedicine (IBUB), Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
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Peana AT, Sánchez-Catalán MJ, Hipólito L, Rosas M, Porru S, Bennardini F, Romualdi P, Caputi FF, Candeletti S, Polache A, Granero L, Acquas E. Mystic Acetaldehyde: The Never-Ending Story on Alcoholism. Front Behav Neurosci 2017; 11:81. [PMID: 28553209 PMCID: PMC5425597 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2017.00081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2017] [Accepted: 04/18/2017] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
After decades of uncertainties and drawbacks, the study on the role and significance of acetaldehyde in the effects of ethanol seemed to have found its main paths. Accordingly, the effects of acetaldehyde, after its systemic or central administration and as obtained following ethanol metabolism, looked as they were extensively characterized. However, almost 5 years after this research appeared at its highest momentum, the investigations on this topic have been revitalized on at least three main directions: (1) the role and the behavioral significance of acetaldehyde in different phases of ethanol self-administration and in voluntary ethanol consumption; (2) the distinction, in the central effects of ethanol, between those arising from its non-metabolized fraction and those attributable to ethanol-derived acetaldehyde; and (3) the role of the acetaldehyde-dopamine condensation product, salsolinol. The present review article aims at presenting and discussing prospectively the most recent data accumulated following these three research pathways on this never-ending story in order to offer the most up-to-date synoptic critical view on such still unresolved and exciting topic.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - María J. Sánchez-Catalán
- Department of Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Technology and Parasitology, University of ValenciaValència, Spain
| | - Lucia Hipólito
- Department of Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Technology and Parasitology, University of ValenciaValència, Spain
| | - Michela Rosas
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of CagliariCagliari, Italy
| | - Simona Porru
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of CagliariCagliari, Italy
| | | | - Patrizia Romualdi
- Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, University of BolognaBologna, Italy
| | - Francesca F. Caputi
- Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, University of BolognaBologna, Italy
| | - Sanzio Candeletti
- Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, University of BolognaBologna, Italy
| | - Ana Polache
- Department of Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Technology and Parasitology, University of ValenciaValència, Spain
| | - Luis Granero
- Department of Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Technology and Parasitology, University of ValenciaValència, Spain
| | - Elio Acquas
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of CagliariCagliari, Italy
- Centre of Excellence on Neurobiology of Addiction, University of CagliariCagliari, Italy
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Abstract
This paper is the thirty-eighth consecutive installment of the annual review of research concerning the endogenous opioid system. It summarizes papers published during 2015 that studied the behavioral effects of molecular, pharmacological and genetic manipulation of opioid peptides, opioid receptors, opioid agonists and opioid antagonists. The particular topics that continue to be covered include the molecular-biochemical effects and neurochemical localization studies of endogenous opioids and their receptors related to behavior, and the roles of these opioid peptides and receptors in pain and analgesia, stress and social status, tolerance and dependence, learning and memory, eating and drinking, drug abuse and alcohol, sexual activity and hormones, pregnancy, development and endocrinology, mental illness and mood, seizures and neurologic disorders, electrical-related activity and neurophysiology, general activity and locomotion, gastrointestinal, renal and hepatic functions, cardiovascular responses, respiration and thermoregulation, and immunological responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard J Bodnar
- Department of Psychology and Neuropsychology Doctoral Sub-Program, Queens College, City University of New York, Flushing, NY 11367, United States.
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Peana AT, Rosas M, Porru S, Acquas E. From Ethanol to Salsolinol: Role of Ethanol Metabolites in the Effects of Ethanol. J Exp Neurosci 2016; 10:137-146. [PMID: 27891052 PMCID: PMC5117487 DOI: 10.4137/jen.s25099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2016] [Revised: 10/13/2016] [Accepted: 11/03/2016] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
In spite of the global reputation of ethanol as the psychopharmacologically active ingredient of alcoholic drinks, the neurobiological basis of the central effects of ethanol still presents some dark sides due to a number of unanswered questions related to both its precise mechanism of action and its metabolism. Accordingly, ethanol represents the interesting example of a compound whose actions cannot be explained as simply due to the involvement of a single receptor/neurotransmitter, a scenario further complicated by the robust evidence that two main metabolites, acetaldehyde and salsolinol, exert many effects similar to those of their parent compound. The present review recapitulates, in a perspective manner, the major and most recent advances that in the last decades boosted a significant growth in the understanding on the role of ethanol metabolism, in particular, in the neurobiological basis of its central effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandra T Peana
- Department of Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Sassari, Sassari, Italy
| | - Michela Rosas
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Simona Porru
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Elio Acquas
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy.; Centre of Excellence on Neurobiology of Addiction, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
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