MDMA attenuates THC withdrawal syndrome in mice
3, 4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) and cannabis are widely abused illicit drugs that are frequently consumed in combination. Interactions between these two drugs have been reported in several pharmacological responses observed in animals, such as body temperature, anxiety, cognition and rewar...
| Autores: | , , |
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| Tipo de documento: | artigo |
| Estado: | Versión enviada para evaluación y publicación |
| Data de publicação: | 2007 |
| País: | España |
| Recursos: | Universitat Pompeu Fabra |
| Repositório: | Repositorio Digital de la UPF |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:repositori.upf.edu:10230/16366 |
| Acesso em linha: | http://hdl.handle.net/10230/16366 http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00213-007-0772-5 |
| Access Level: | Acceso aberto |
| Palavra-chave: | MDMA (Droga) Drogues Psychostimulant Cannabinoid Physical dependence In vivo microdialysis |
| Resumo: | 3, 4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) and cannabis are widely abused illicit drugs that are frequently consumed in combination. Interactions between these two drugs have been reported in several pharmacological responses observed in animals, such as body temperature, anxiety, cognition and reward. However, the interaction between MDMA and cannabis in addictive processes such as physical dependence has not been elucidated yet. In this study, the effects of acute and chronic MDMA were evaluated on the behavioral manifestations of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) abstinence in mice. THC withdrawal syndrome was precipitated by injecting the cannabinoid antagonist rimonabant (10 mg/kg, i.p.) in mice chronically treated with THC, and receiving MDMA (2.5, 5 and 10 mg/kg i.p.) or saline just before the withdrawal induction or chronically after the THC administration. Both, chronic and acute MDMA decreased in a dose-dependent manner the severity of THC withdrawal. In vivo microdialysis experiments showed that acute MDMA (5 mg/kg, i.p.) administration increased extracellular serotonin levels in the prefrontal cortex, but not dopamine levels in the nucleus accumbens. Our results also indicate that the attenuation of THC abstinence symptoms was not due to a direct interaction between rimonabant and MDMA nor to the result of the locomotor stimulating effects of MDMA. The modulation of the cannabinoid withdrawal syndrome by acute or chronic MDMA suggests a possible mechanism to explain the associated consumption of these two drugs in humans. |
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