The gamma-aminobutyric acid type B (GABAB) receptor agonist baclofen inhibits morphine sensitization by decreasing the dopamine level in rat nucleus accumbens

Behavioral and Brain Functions

Zhenyu Fu²  Hongfa Yang¹  Yuqiang Xiao²  Gang Zhao¹  Haiyan Huang¹ 

[1] Department of Neurosurgery, First Hospital of Jilin University, ChangChun, 130021, China

[2] Department of Neurosurgery, The Daqing Oilfield General Hospital, Heilongjiang Province, DaQing, 5805999, China

关键词: Baclofen;    Nucleus accumbens;    Dopamine;    Sensitization;    Morphine;    GABA receptor;   

Others  :  797531
DOI  :  10.1186/1744-9081-8-20

 received in 2011-08-24, accepted in 2012-05-06,  发布年份 2012

【 摘 要 】

Background

Repeated morphine exposure can induce behavioral sensitization. There are evidences have shown that central gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) system is involved in morphine dependence. However, the effect of a GABA_B receptor agonist baclofen on morphine-induced behavioral sensitization in rats is unclear.

Methods

We used morphine-induced behavioral sensitization model in rat to investigate the effects of baclofen on behavioral sensitization. Moreover, dopamine release in the shell of the nucleus accumbens was evaluated using microdialysis assay in vivo.

Results

The present study demonstrated that morphine challenge (3 mg/kg, s.c.) obviously enhanced the locomotor activity following 4-day consecutive morphine administration and 3-day withdrawal period, which indicated the expression of morphine sensitization. In addition, chronic treatment with baclofen (2.5, 5 mg/kg) significantly inhibited the development of morphine sensitization. It was also found that morphine challenge 3 days after repeated morphine administration produced a significant increase of extracellular dopamine release in nucleus accumbens. Furthermore, chronic treatment with baclofen decreased the dopamine release induced by morphine challenge.

Conclusions

Our results indicated that gamma-aminobutyric acid system plays an important role in the morphine sensitization in rat and suggested that behavioral sensitization is a promising model to study the mechanism underlying drug abuse.

【 授权许可】

   
2012 Fu et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

【 图 表 】

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