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Bagdas D, Jackson A, Carper M, Chen RYT, Akinola LS, Damaj MI. Impact of menthol on nicotine intake and preference in mice: Concentration, sex, and age differences. Neuropharmacology 2020; 179:108274. [PMID: 32827516 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2020.108274] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [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: 01/29/2020] [Revised: 08/09/2020] [Accepted: 08/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Menthol has been shown to contribute to the appeal of tobacco products in humans. However, factors such as sex, age and menthol concentration remain unclear in the interaction between menthol and nicotine. To understand these factors, we utilized a mouse model to determine the impact of menthol on oral nicotine consumption. A range of menthol concentrations (oral and systemic) were tested with or without oral nicotine using the two-bottle choice paradigm in adolescent and adult female and male C57BL/6J mice. Moreover, genetically modified mice were used to investigate the role of α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) on the effects of menthol. Menthol addition to nicotine solution increased oral nicotine consumption in C57BL/6J mice in a sex- and menthol concentration-dependent manner. At lower menthol concentrations, female mice demonstrated an enhancement of nicotine consumption and male mice showed a similar behavior at higher menthol concentrations. Menthol drinking alone was only significantly different by sex at 60 μg/ml menthol concentration where female mice had higher menthol intake than males. Menthol administered both orally and systemically (intraperitoneal) increased oral nicotine consumption. Adolescent female mice had a higher nicotine intake at lower menthol concentrations compared to their adult counterparts. While α7 nAChR wild type mice consumed more mentholated nicotine solution than nicotine only solution, this effect was abolished in KO mice. Effects of menthol are concentration-, sex-, age-, and α7 nAChR-dependent. Oral and intraperitoneal menthol increases nicotine intake, suggesting that sensory, peripheral, and/or central mechanisms are involved in effects of menthol on oral nicotine consumption.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deniz Bagdas
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA; Yale Tobacco Center of Regulatory Science, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA; The Center for the Study for Tobacco Products, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA.
| | - Asti Jackson
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA; Yale Tobacco Center of Regulatory Science, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Moriah Carper
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Medical College of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
| | - Rita Yu-Tzu Chen
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Medical College of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
| | - Lois S Akinola
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Medical College of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
| | - M Imad Damaj
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Medical College of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA; The Center for the Study for Tobacco Products, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
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