Short-term withdrawal from repeated exposure to cocaine during adolescence modulates dynorphin mRNA levels and BDNF signaling in the rat nucleus accumbens

Drug and Alcohol Dependence
Francesca Felicia CaputiPatrizia Romualdi

Abstract

Early-life stressful events affect the neurobiological maturation of cerebral circuitries including the endogenous opioid system and the effects elicited by adolescent cocaine exposure on this system have been poorly investigated. Here, we evaluated whether cocaine exposure during adolescence causes short- or long-term alterations in mRNAs codifying for selected elements belonging to the opioid system. Moreover, since brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) may undergo simultaneous alterations with the opioid peptide dynorphin, we also evaluated its signaling pathway as well. Adolescent male rats were exposed to cocaine (20 mg/kg/day) from post-natal day (PND) 28 to PND42, approximately corresponding to human adolescence. After short- (PND45) or long-term (PND90) abstinence, prodynorphin-κ-opioid receptor (pDYN-KOP) and pronociceptin-nociceptin receptor (pN/OFQ-NOP) gene expression were evaluated in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) and hippocampus (Hip) together with the analysis of BDNF signaling pathways. In the NAc of PND45 rats, pDYN mRNA levels were up-regulated, an effect paralled by increased BDNF signaling. Differently from NAc, pDYN mRNA levels were down-regulated in the Hip of PND45 rats without significant changes of BDN...Continue Reading

Citations

Aug 21, 2019·International Journal of Molecular Sciences·Francesca Felicia CaputiPatrizia Romualdi
Mar 7, 2021·International Journal of Molecular Sciences·Francesca Felicia CaputiPatrizia Romualdi
Jul 25, 2021·International Journal of Molecular Sciences·Lucia CaffinoFabio Fumagalli

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