1
|
Rivera-Irizarry JK, Zallar LJ, Levine OB, Skelly MJ, Boyce JE, Barney T, Kopyto R, Pleil KE. Sex differences in binge alcohol drinking and the behavioral consequences of protracted abstinence in C57BL/6J mice. Biol Sex Differ 2023; 14:83. [PMID: 37957762 PMCID: PMC10644501 DOI: 10.1186/s13293-023-00565-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2023] [Accepted: 10/18/2023] [Indexed: 11/15/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Binge alcohol drinking is a risk factor linked to numerous disease states including alcohol use disorder (AUD). While men binge drink more alcohol than women, this demographic gap is quickly shrinking, and preclinical studies demonstrate that females consistently consume more alcohol than males. Further, women are at increased risk for the co-expression of AUD with neuropsychiatric diseases such as anxiety and mood disorders. However, little is understood about chronic voluntary alcohol drinking and its long-term effects on behavior. Here, we sought to characterize sex differences in chronic binge drinking and the effects of protracted alcohol abstinence on anxiety- and affective-related behaviors in males and females. METHODS We assessed binge alcohol drinking patterns in male and female C57BL/6J mice using a modified Drinking in the Dark (DID) paradigm in which mice received home cage access to one bottle of 10% or 20% alcohol (EtOH) or water for 2 h per day on Days 1-3 and to two bottles (EtOH/H2O + H2O) for 24 h on Day 4 for 8 weekly cycles. Mice were then tested for the effects of protracted abstinence on avoidance, affective, and compulsive behaviors. RESULTS Female mice consumed more alcohol than males consistently across cycles of DID and at 2, 4, and 24-h timepoints within the day, with a more robust sex difference for 20% than 10% EtOH. Females also consumed more water than males, an effect that emerged at the later time points; this water consumption bias diminished when alcohol was available. Further, while increased alcohol consumption was correlated with decreased water consumption in males, there was no relationship between these two measures in females. Alcohol preference was higher in 10% vs. 20% EtOH for both sexes. During protracted abstinence following chronic binge drinking, mice displayed decreased avoidance behavior (elevated plus maze, open field, novelty suppressed feeding) and increased compulsive behavior (marble burying) that was especially robust in females. There was no effect of alcohol history on stress coping and negative affective behaviors (sucrose preference, forced swim test, tail suspension) in either sex. CONCLUSION Female mice engaged in higher volume binge drinking than their male counterparts. Although females also consumed more water than males, their higher alcohol consumption was not driven by increased total fluid intake. Further, the effects of protracted abstinence following chronic binge drinking was driven by behavioral disinhibition that was more pronounced in females. Given the reciprocal relationship between risk-taking and alcohol use in neuropsychiatric disease states, these results have implications for sex-dependent alcohol drinking patterns and their long-term negative neuropsychiatric/physiological health outcomes in humans.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jean K Rivera-Irizarry
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Weill Cornell Medicine, Cornell University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Lia J Zallar
- Pharmacology Graduate Program, Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Weill Cornell Medicine, Cornell University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Olivia B Levine
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Weill Cornell Medicine, Cornell University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Mary Jane Skelly
- Department of Pharmacology, Weill Cornell Medicine, Cornell University, New York, NY, USA
- Psychology Department, Iona University, New Rochelle, NY, USA
| | - Jared E Boyce
- Department of Pharmacology, Weill Cornell Medicine, Cornell University, New York, NY, USA
- Medical Scientist Training Program, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Thaddeus Barney
- Department of Pharmacology, Weill Cornell Medicine, Cornell University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Ruth Kopyto
- Pharmacology Graduate Program, Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Weill Cornell Medicine, Cornell University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Kristen E Pleil
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Weill Cornell Medicine, Cornell University, New York, NY, USA.
- Pharmacology Graduate Program, Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Weill Cornell Medicine, Cornell University, New York, NY, USA.
- Department of Pharmacology, Weill Cornell Medicine, Cornell University, New York, NY, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Rivera-Irizarry JK, Zallar LJ, Levine OB, Skelly MJ, Boyce JE, Barney T, Kopyto R, Pleil KE. Sex differences in binge alcohol drinking and the behavioral consequences of protracted abstinence in C57BL/6J mice. bioRxiv 2023:2023.05.12.540565. [PMID: 37808817 PMCID: PMC10557617 DOI: 10.1101/2023.05.12.540565] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/10/2023]
Abstract
Background Binge alcohol drinking is a risk factor linked to numerous disease states including alcohol use disorder (AUD). While men binge drink more alcohol than women, this demographic gap is quickly shrinking, and preclinical studies demonstrate that females consistently consume more alcohol than males. Further, women are at increased risk for the co-expression of AUD with neuropsychiatric diseases such as anxiety and mood disorders. However, little is understood about chronic voluntary alcohol drinking and its long-term effects on behavior. Here, we sought to characterize sex differences in chronic binge drinking and the effects of protracted alcohol abstinence on anxiety- and affective-related behaviors in males and females. Methods We assessed binge alcohol drinking patterns in male and female C57BL/6J mice using a modified Drinking in the Dark (DID) paradigm in which mice received home cage access to one bottle of 10% or 20% alcohol (EtOH) or water for 2 hrs per day on Days 1-3 and to two bottles (EtOH/H2O + H2O) for 24 hrs on Day 4 for eight weekly cycles. Mice were then tested for the effects of protracted abstinence on avoidance, affective, and compulsive behaviors. Results Female mice consumed more alcohol than males consistently across cycles of DID and at 2, 4, and 24-hr timepoints within the day, with a more robust sex difference for 20% than 10% EtOH. Females also consumed more water than males, an effect that emerged at the later time points; this water consumption bias diminished when alcohol was available. Further, while increased alcohol consumption was correlated with decreased water consumption in males, there was no relationship between these two measures in females. Alcohol preference was higher in 10% vs. 20% EtOH for both sexes. During protracted abstinence following chronic binge drinking, mice displayed decreased avoidance behavior (elevated plus maze, open field, novelty suppressed feeding) and increased compulsive behavior (marble burying) that was especially robust in females. There was no effect of alcohol history on stress coping and negative affective behaviors (sucrose preference, forced swim test, tail suspension) in either sex. Conclusion Female mice engaged in higher volume binge drinking than their male counterparts. Although females also consumed more water than males, their higher alcohol consumption was not driven by increased total fluid intake. Further, the effects of protracted abstinence following chronic binge drinking was driven by behavioral disinhibition that was more pronounced in females. Given the reciprocal relationship between risk-taking and alcohol use in neuropsychiatric disease states, these results have implications for sex-dependent alcohol drinking patterns and their long-term negative neuropsychiatric/physiological health outcomes in humans.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jean K Rivera-Irizarry
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Weill Cornell Medicine, Cornell University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Lia J Zallar
- Pharmacology Graduate Program, Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Weill Cornell Medicine, Cornell University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Olivia B Levine
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Weill Cornell Medicine, Cornell University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Mary Jane Skelly
- Department of Pharmacology, Weill Cornell Medicine, Cornell University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Jared E Boyce
- Department of Pharmacology, Weill Cornell Medicine, Cornell University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Thaddeus Barney
- Department of Pharmacology, Weill Cornell Medicine, Cornell University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Ruth Kopyto
- Pharmacology Graduate Program, Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Weill Cornell Medicine, Cornell University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Kristen E Pleil
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Weill Cornell Medicine, Cornell University, New York, NY, USA
- Pharmacology Graduate Program, Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Weill Cornell Medicine, Cornell University, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Pharmacology, Weill Cornell Medicine, Cornell University, New York, NY, USA
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Rivera-Irizarry JK, Hámor PU, Rowson SA, Asfouri J, Liu D, Zallar LJ, Garcia AF, Skelly MJ, Pleil KE. Valence and salience encoding by parallel circuits from the paraventricular thalamus to the nucleus accumbens. bioRxiv 2023:2023.07.03.547570. [PMID: 37461604 PMCID: PMC10349961 DOI: 10.1101/2023.07.03.547570] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2023]
Abstract
The anterior and posterior subregions of the paraventricular thalamus (aPVT and pPVT, respectively) play unique roles in learned behaviors, from fear conditioning to alcohol/drug intake, potentially through differentially organized projections to limbic brain regions including the nucleus accumbens medial shell (mNAcSh). Here, we found that the aPVT projects broadly to the mNAcSh and that the aPVT-mNAcSh circuit encodes positive valence, such that in vivo manipulations of the circuit modulated both innately programmed and learned behavioral responses to positively and negatively valenced stimuli, particularly in females. Further, the endogenous activity of aPVT presynaptic terminals in the mNAcSh was greater in response to positively than negatively valenced stimuli, and the probability of synaptic glutamate release from aPVT neurons in the mNAcSh was higher in females than males. In contrast, we found that the pPVT-mNAcSh circuit encodes stimulus salience regardless of valence. While pPVT-mNAcSh circuit inhibition suppressed behavioral responses in both sexes, circuit activation increased behavioral responses to stimuli only in males. Our results point to circuit-specific stimulus feature encoding by parallel PVT-mNAcSh circuits that have sex-dependent biases in organization and function.
Collapse
|
4
|
Knouse MC, McGrath AG, Deutschmann AU, Rich MT, Zallar LJ, Rajadhyaksha AM, Briand LA. Sex differences in the medial prefrontal cortical glutamate system. Biol Sex Differ 2022; 13:66. [PMID: 36348414 PMCID: PMC9641904 DOI: 10.1186/s13293-022-00468-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2022] [Accepted: 10/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Dysregulation in the prefrontal cortex underlies a variety of psychiatric illnesses, including substance use disorder, depression, and anxiety. Despite the established sex differences in prevalence and presentation of these illnesses, the neural mechanisms driving these differences are largely unexplored. Here, we investigate potential sex differences in glutamatergic transmission within the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). The goal of these experiments was to determine if there are baseline sex differences in transmission within this region that may underlie sex differences in diseases that involve dysregulation in the prefrontal cortex. METHODS Adult male and female C57Bl/6J mice were used for all experiments. Mice were killed and bilateral tissue samples were taken from the medial prefrontal cortex for western blotting. Both synaptosomal and total GluA1 and GluA2 levels were measured. In a second set of experiments, mice were killed and ex vivo slice electrophysiology was performed on prepared tissue from the medial prefrontal cortex. Spontaneous excitatory postsynaptic currents and rectification indices were measured. RESULTS Females exhibit higher levels of synaptosomal GluA1 and GluA2 in the mPFC compared to males. Despite similar trends, no statistically significant differences are seen in total levels of GluA1 and GluA2. Females also exhibit both a higher amplitude and higher frequency of spontaneous excitatory postsynaptic currents and greater inward rectification in the mPFC compared to males. CONCLUSIONS Overall, we conclude that there are sex differences in glutamatergic transmission in the mPFC. Our data suggest that females have higher levels of glutamatergic transmission in this region. This provides evidence that the development of sex-specific pharmacotherapies for various psychiatric diseases is important to create more effective treatments.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Melissa C. Knouse
- grid.264727.20000 0001 2248 3398Department of Psychology, Temple University, Weiss Hall, 1701 North 13th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19122 USA
| | - Anna G. McGrath
- grid.264727.20000 0001 2248 3398Department of Psychology, Temple University, Weiss Hall, 1701 North 13th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19122 USA
| | - Andre U. Deutschmann
- grid.264727.20000 0001 2248 3398Department of Psychology, Temple University, Weiss Hall, 1701 North 13th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19122 USA
| | - Matthew T. Rich
- grid.430387.b0000 0004 1936 8796Department of Psychiatry, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854 USA
| | - Lia J. Zallar
- grid.5386.8000000041936877XDepartment of Pharmacology, Weill Cornell Medicine of Cornell University, New York, NY USA
| | - Anjali M. Rajadhyaksha
- grid.5386.8000000041936877XPediatric Neurology, Pediatrics, Weill Cornell Medicine of Cornell University, New York, NY USA ,grid.5386.8000000041936877XFeil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine of Cornell University, New York, NY USA ,grid.5386.8000000041936877XWeill Cornell Autism Research Program, Weill Cornell Medicine of Cornell University, New York, NY USA
| | - Lisa A. Briand
- grid.264727.20000 0001 2248 3398Department of Psychology, Temple University, Weiss Hall, 1701 North 13th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19122 USA ,grid.264727.20000 0001 2248 3398Neuroscience Program, Temple University, Philadelphia, USA
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Deschaine SL, Farokhnia M, Gregory-Flores A, Zallar LJ, You ZB, Sun H, Harvey DM, Marchette RCN, Tunstall BJ, Mani BK, Moose JE, Lee MR, Gardner E, Akhlaghi F, Roberto M, Hougland JL, Zigman JM, Koob GF, Vendruscolo LF, Leggio L. A closer look at alcohol-induced changes in the ghrelin system: novel insights from preclinical and clinical data. Addict Biol 2022; 27:e13033. [PMID: 33908131 PMCID: PMC8548413 DOI: 10.1111/adb.13033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2020] [Revised: 01/16/2021] [Accepted: 03/06/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Ghrelin is a gastric-derived peptide hormone with demonstrated impact on alcohol intake and craving, but the reverse side of this bidirectional link, that is, the effects of alcohol on the ghrelin system, remains to be fully established. To further characterize this relationship, we examined (1) ghrelin levels via secondary analysis of human laboratory alcohol administration experiments with heavy-drinking participants; (2) expression of ghrelin, ghrelin receptor, and ghrelin-O-acyltransferase (GOAT) genes (GHRL, GHSR, and MBOAT4, respectively) in post-mortem brain tissue from individuals with alcohol use disorder (AUD) versus controls; (3) ghrelin levels in Ghsr knockout and wild-type rats following intraperitoneal (i.p.) alcohol administration; (4) effect of alcohol on ghrelin secretion from gastric mucosa cells ex vivo and GOAT enzymatic activity in vitro; and (5) ghrelin levels in rats following i.p. alcohol administration versus a calorically equivalent non-alcoholic sucrose solution. Acyl- and total-ghrelin levels decreased following acute alcohol administration in humans, but AUD was not associated with changes in central expression of ghrelin system genes in post-mortem tissue. In rats, alcohol decreased acyl-ghrelin, but not des-acyl-ghrelin, in both Ghsr knockout and wild-type rats. No dose-dependent effects of alcohol were observed on acyl-ghrelin secretion from gastric mucosa cells or on GOAT acylation activity. Lastly, alcohol and sucrose produced distinct effects on ghrelin in rats despite equivalent caloric value. Our findings suggest that alcohol acutely decreases peripheral ghrelin concentrations in vivo, but not in proportion to alcohol's caloric value or through direct interaction with ghrelin-secreting gastric mucosal cells, the ghrelin receptor, or the GOAT enzyme.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sara L. Deschaine
- Clinical Psychoneuroendocrinology and Neuropsychopharmacology Section, Translational Addiction Medicine Branch, National Institute on Drug Abuse and National, Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Mehdi Farokhnia
- Clinical Psychoneuroendocrinology and Neuropsychopharmacology Section, Translational Addiction Medicine Branch, National Institute on Drug Abuse and National, Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA,Center on Compulsive Behaviors, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA,Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Adriana Gregory-Flores
- Clinical Psychoneuroendocrinology and Neuropsychopharmacology Section, Translational Addiction Medicine Branch, National Institute on Drug Abuse and National, Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA,Neurobiology of Addiction Section, Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Lia J. Zallar
- Clinical Psychoneuroendocrinology and Neuropsychopharmacology Section, Translational Addiction Medicine Branch, National Institute on Drug Abuse and National, Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA,Neurobiology of Addiction Section, Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Zhi-Bing You
- Neuropsychopharmacology Section, Molecular Targets and Medications Discovery Branch, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Hui Sun
- Clinical Core Laboratory, Office of the Clinical Director, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Deon M. Harvey
- Office of the Scientific Director, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Renata C. N. Marchette
- Center on Compulsive Behaviors, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA,Neurobiology of Addiction Section, Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Brendan J. Tunstall
- Neurobiology of Addiction Section, Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Bharath K. Mani
- Center for Hypothalamic Research, Department of Internal Medicine, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, USA
| | - Jacob E. Moose
- Syracuse Biomaterials Institute, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York, USA,Department of Chemistry, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York, USA
| | - Mary R. Lee
- Clinical Psychoneuroendocrinology and Neuropsychopharmacology Section, Translational Addiction Medicine Branch, National Institute on Drug Abuse and National, Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Eliot Gardner
- Neuropsychopharmacology Section, Molecular Targets and Medications Discovery Branch, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Fatemeh Akhlaghi
- Clinical Pharmacokinetics Research Laboratory, Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island, USA
| | - Marisa Roberto
- Department of Neuroscience, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - James L. Hougland
- Syracuse Biomaterials Institute, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York, USA,Department of Chemistry, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York, USA,BioInspired Syracuse, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York, USA
| | - Jeffrey M. Zigman
- Center for Hypothalamic Research, Department of Internal Medicine, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, USA,Division of Endocrinology, Department of Internal Medicine, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, USA,Department of Psychiatry, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, USA
| | - George F. Koob
- Neurobiology of Addiction Section, Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Leandro F. Vendruscolo
- Neurobiology of Addiction Section, Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Lorenzo Leggio
- Clinical Psychoneuroendocrinology and Neuropsychopharmacology Section, Translational Addiction Medicine Branch, National Institute on Drug Abuse and National, Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA,Center on Compulsive Behaviors, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA,Medication Development Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse Intramural Research Program, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA,Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies, Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences, School of Public Health, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA,Division of Addiction Medicine, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA,Department of Neuroscience, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Tunstall BJ, Lorrai I, McConnell SA, Gazo KL, Zallar LJ, de Guglielmo G, Hoang I, Haass-Koffler CL, Repunte-Canonigo V, Koob GF, Vendruscolo LF, Sanna PP. Probenecid Reduces Alcohol Drinking in Rodents. Is Pannexin1 a Novel Therapeutic Target for Alcohol Use Disorder? Alcohol Alcohol 2020; 54:497-502. [PMID: 31535696 DOI: 10.1093/alcalc/agz054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2019] [Revised: 06/03/2019] [Accepted: 07/02/2019] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
AIMS The development of novel and more effective medications for alcohol use disorder (AUD) is an important unmet medical need. Drug repositioning or repurposing is an appealing strategy to bring new therapies to the clinic because it greatly reduces the overall costs of drug development and expedites the availability of treatments to those who need them. Probenecid, p-(di-n-propylsulfamyl)-benzoic acid, is a drug used clinically to treat hyperuricemia and gout due to its activity as an inhibitor of the kidneys' organic anion transporter that reclaims uric acid from urine. Probenecid also inhibits pannexin1 channels that are involved in purinergic neurotransmission and inflammation, which have been implicated in alcohol's effects and motivation for alcohol. Therefore, we tested the effects of probenecid on alcohol intake in rodents. METHODS We tested the effects of probenecid on operant oral alcohol self-administration in alcohol-dependent rats during acute withdrawal as well as in nondependent rats and in the drinking-in-the-dark (DID) paradigm of binge-like drinking in mice. RESULTS Probenecid reduced alcohol intake in both dependent and nondependent rats and in the DID paradigm in mice without affecting water or saccharin intake, indicating that probenecid's effect was selective for alcohol and not the result of a general reduction in reward. CONCLUSIONS These results raise the possibility that pannexin1 is a novel therapeutic target for the treatment of AUD. The clinical use of probenecid has been found to be generally safe, suggesting that it can be a candidate for drug repositioning for the treatment of AUD.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Brendan J Tunstall
- National Institute on Drug Abuse, Intramural Research Program, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Irene Lorrai
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA.,Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, Monserrato, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Sam A McConnell
- National Institute on Drug Abuse, Intramural Research Program, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Katrina L Gazo
- National Institute on Drug Abuse, Intramural Research Program, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Lia J Zallar
- National Institute on Drug Abuse, Intramural Research Program, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD, USA.,National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | | | - Ivy Hoang
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Carolina L Haass-Koffler
- Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies; Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior; Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
| | - Vez Repunte-Canonigo
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - George F Koob
- National Institute on Drug Abuse, Intramural Research Program, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Leandro F Vendruscolo
- National Institute on Drug Abuse, Intramural Research Program, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Pietro Paolo Sanna
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Zallar LJ, Beurmann S, Tunstall BJ, Fraser CM, Koob GF, Vendruscolo LF, Leggio L. Ghrelin receptor deletion reduces binge-like alcohol drinking in rats. J Neuroendocrinol 2019; 31:e12663. [PMID: 30456835 DOI: 10.1111/jne.12663] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2018] [Revised: 10/07/2018] [Accepted: 11/15/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Ghrelin is a gastric hormone that has been implicated in the neurobiology of alcohol drinking. We have recently developed a ghrelin receptor (growth hormone secretagogue receptor; GHSR) knockout (KO) rat model, which exhibits reduced food consumption and body weight. In addition, recent preliminary work suggests that the gut-microbiome, which appears to interact with the ghrelin system, may modulate alcohol drinking. In the present study, we investigated the effects of GHSR deletion on alcohol consumption utilising GHSR KO and wild-type (WT) rats in three separate alcohol consumption paradigms: (i) operant self-administration (30-minute sessions); (ii) drinking in the dark (DID) (4-hour sessions); and (iii) intermittent access (24-hour sessions). These paradigms model varying degrees of alcohol consumption. Furthermore, we aimed to investigate the gut-microbiome composition of GHSR KO and WT rats before and after alcohol exposure. We found that the GHSR KO rats self-administered significantly less alcohol compared to WT rats in the operant paradigm, and consumed less alcohol than WT in the initial stages of the DID paradigm. No genotype differences were found in the intermittent access test. In addition, we found a significant decrease in gut-microbial diversity after alcohol exposure in both genotypes. Thus, the present results indicate that the ghrelin system may be involved in drinking patterns that result in presumably increased alcohol exposure levels. Furthermore, GHSR may constitute a potential pharmacological target for the reduction of binge-alcohol consumption. The potential functional role of the gut-microbiome in alcohol drinking, as well as interaction with the ghrelin system, is an interesting topic for further investigation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lia J Zallar
- Section on Clinical Psychoneuroendocrinology and Neuropsychopharmacology, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism Division of Intramural Clinical and Biological Research, and National Institute on Drug Abuse Intramural Research Program, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
- Neurobiology of Addiction Section, National Institute on Drug Abuse Intramural Research Program, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Silvia Beurmann
- Institute for Genome Sciences, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Brendan J Tunstall
- Neurobiology of Addiction Section, National Institute on Drug Abuse Intramural Research Program, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Claire M Fraser
- Institute for Genome Sciences, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
- Department of Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - George F Koob
- Neurobiology of Addiction Section, National Institute on Drug Abuse Intramural Research Program, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Leandro F Vendruscolo
- Neurobiology of Addiction Section, National Institute on Drug Abuse Intramural Research Program, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Lorenzo Leggio
- Section on Clinical Psychoneuroendocrinology and Neuropsychopharmacology, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism Division of Intramural Clinical and Biological Research, and National Institute on Drug Abuse Intramural Research Program, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
- Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences, Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Abstract
In the past years, a significant volume of research has implicated the appetitive hormone ghrelin in the mechanisms underlying drug use and addiction. From a neuroscientific standpoint, ghrelin modulates both reward and stress pathways, two key drivers of substance use behaviors. Previous investigations support a connection between the ghrelin system and alcohol, stimulants, and tobacco use in both animals and humans, while the research on opioids and cannabis is scarce. In general, upregulation of the ghrelin system seems to enhance craving for drugs as well as substances use. On the other hand, acute and chronic exposure to drugs of abuse influences the ghrelin system at different levels. This chapter summarizes the literature on the relationship between the ghrelin system and substance-related behaviors. We also review recent work investigating the ghrelin system as a potential pharmacological target for treating substance use disorders and discuss the need for additional research.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lia J Zallar
- Section on Clinical Psychoneuroendocrinology and Neuropsychopharmacology, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States; Neurobiology of Addiction Section, Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Mehdi Farokhnia
- Section on Clinical Psychoneuroendocrinology and Neuropsychopharmacology, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Brendan J Tunstall
- Neurobiology of Addiction Section, Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Leandro F Vendruscolo
- Neurobiology of Addiction Section, Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Lorenzo Leggio
- Section on Clinical Psychoneuroendocrinology and Neuropsychopharmacology, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States; Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies, Brown University, Providence, RI, United States.
| |
Collapse
|