Pharmacology, biochemistry, and behavior
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Pharmacol. Biochem. Behav. · Nov 2013
Antinociception and prevention of hyperalgesia by intrathecal administration of Ro 25-6981, a highly selective antagonist of the 2B subunit of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor.
NR2B subunits (NMDA receptor 2B subunit) play an important role in generation of pain and forming central sensitization of pain. Ro 25-6981, a highly selective NR2B antagonist, gained much attention in recent years. In this study, we used a rat model of incisional pain to investigate effects of postoperative analgesia and changes of postoperative hyperalgesia induced by remifentanil through the pretreatment of intrathecal administration with Ro 25-6981. ⋯ Intrathecal injection of Ro 25-6981 had significant analgesic effects on incision pain in rats and effectively attenuated postoperative hyperalgesia induced by remifentanil.
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An association between chronic pain conditions and alcohol dependence has been revealed in numerous studies with episodes of alcohol abuse antedating chronic pain in some people and alcohol dependence emerging after the onset of chronic pain in others. Alcohol dependence and chronic pain share common neural circuits giving rise to the possibility that chronic pain states could significantly affect alcohol use patterns and that alcohol dependence could influence pain sensitivity. The reward and emotional pathways that regulate drug/alcohol addiction also mediate chronic pain. ⋯ In addition, long term alcohol use could induce pain symptoms and may exacerbate chronic pain arising from other sources. While prior studies have established a role of neuroendocrine stress axis mediators in alcohol abuse and neurotoxic effects, these studies have not explored the distinction between the individual impact of alcohol and stress hormones. Future studies should explore the mechanisms mediating the contribution of alcohol and stress axis hormones on pain, an important question in our understanding of the neurobiology of alcohol abuse and chronic pain.
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Pharmacol. Biochem. Behav. · Nov 2013
Antidepressant-like activity of resveratrol treatment in the forced swim test and tail suspension test in mice: the HPA axis, BDNF expression and phosphorylation of ERK.
Resveratrol is a natural polyphenol enriched in Polygonum cuspidatum and has diverse biological activities. There is only limited information about the antidepressant-like effect of resveratrol. The present study assessed whether resveratrol treatment (20, 40 and 80mg/kg, i.p., 21days) has an antidepressant-like effect on the forced swim test (FST) and tail suspension test (TST) in mice and examined what its molecular targets might be. ⋯ Moreover, resveratrol increased brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) protein and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) phosphorylation levels in the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus. All of these antidepressant-like effects of resveratrol were essentially similar to those observed with the clinical antidepressant, fluoxetine. These results suggest that the antidepressant-like effects of resveratrol in the FST and TST are mediated, at least in part, by modulating hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, BDNF and ERK phosphorylation expression in the brain region of mice.
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Pharmacol. Biochem. Behav. · Nov 2013
Oral administration of GZ-793A, a VMAT2 inhibitor, decreases methamphetamine self-administration in rats.
Despite the high prevalence of use of methamphetamine (METH), there is no FDA-approved pharmacological treatment available currently for METH addiction. The vesicular monoamine transporter (VMAT2) has been proposed as a novel target to treat METH abuse. GZ-793A, a lobelane analog and selective VMAT2 inhibitor, has been shown previously to decrease METH self-administration specifically when administered via the subcutaneous route in rats. ⋯ The decrease in METH self-administration produced by GZ-793A (120 mg/kg) lasted at least 180 min. In contrast, GZ-793A failed to alter food-maintained responding at any of the doses or pretreatment intervals tested. The oral effectiveness and the specificity of GZ-793A to decrease methamphetamine self-administration support the feasibility of developing VMAT2 inhibitors as treatments for METH abuse.