| Title | Selective mu- and kappa-opioid receptor antagonists administered into the nucleus accumbens interfere with rapid tolerance to ethanol in rats. | | Author(s) | Varaschin RK, Morato GS | | Institution | Departamento de Farmacologia, Centro de Ciências Biológicas, CCB, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Campus Universitário Trindade, 88049-900, Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil, RVaraschin@salud.unm.edu. | | Source | Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2009 Jun 9. | | Abstract | BACKGROUND: Previous findings have shown that intra-accumbens injection of naltrexone, a non-selective opioid antagonist, blocks the acquisition of rapid tolerance to ethanol in rats. This study investigates the effects of intra-accumbens injection of the selective mu-, delta-, and kappa-opioid antagonists, respectively, naloxonazine, naltrindole, and nor-binaltorphimine, on rapid tolerance to ethanol.
METHODS: Male Wistar rats with guide cannulae directed to the shell or the core portions of the nucleus accumbens received a microinjection of naloxonazine (2-4 mug), naltrindole (2-4 mug), nor-binaltorphimine (2.5-5 mug), or vehicle. After 5 min, each group was divided in two groups that received ethanol (2.7 g/kg i.p.) or saline. Rats were then tested for motor coordination on the tilting plane apparatus. Twenty four hours later, all rats received a challenge dose of ethanol (2.7 g/kg i.p.) and were tested on the tilt plane again.
RESULTS: Repeated injections of ethanol caused a reduction in motor impairment suggesting the development of tolerance. However, rats injected with 4 mug naloxonazine into either core or shell portions of the nucleus accumbens did not exhibit tolerance when challenged with ethanol on day 2. Rats treated with 5 mug nor-binaltorphimine into accumbens core plus intraperitoneal saline on day 1 showed reduced motor impairment when challenged with ethanol on day 2, suggesting cross-tolerance to ethanol.
CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, our results suggests that mu-opioid receptors in both shell and core portions of the nucleus accumbens, and possibly kappa-opioid in the core, participate in the modulation of rapid tolerance to ethanol. | | Language | ENG | | Pub Type(s) | JOURNAL ARTICLE
| | PubMed ID | 19506836 |
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