The use of cocaine in adults has been linked to depression and/or anxiety. Several studies have shown an association between cocaine-primed craving and depressive symptoms. In animal models, the forced swim test (FST) is frequently used for screening depressive-like behavior. This study aimed to verify the presence of depression-like symptoms in adolescent rats after chronic cocaine exposure by analyzing behavior in a FST. The subsequent alterations in neurotransmitters and hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis activity induced by this test were also analyzed. Both male and female adolescent Wistar rats were submitted to a chronic “binge” pattern of administration of cocaine hydrochloride, and subjects were tested in a forced swim test 2 days after cocaine's last administration. At the end of the behavioral test, trunk blood was collected for quantification of corticosterone plasma levels, and hypothalamus, prefrontal cortex, amygdala, and hippocampus were dissected for neurochemical determinations. No significant differences were found in the behavior on the FST of both males and females after withdrawal from chronic cocaine administration. Nevertheless, plasma levels of corticosterone were increased in cocaine-treated males, although not significantly (P= 0.065). In females cocaine failed to affect corticosterone levels. Of interest, neurochemical analyses showed that dopamine turnover was decreased in amygdala in cocaine-treated males (not significantly, P= 0.055). No significant differences were found on neurotransmitter levels in the other brain regions analyzed. Withdrawal from chronic cocaine administration during adolescence did not have a significant effect on stress-induced behavioral alterations, although the neurochemical response to the stressful situation provided by FTS seemed to be affected.
Revista: ANNALS of New York Academy of Sciences
JCR: 5.691
Referência bibliográfica: Alves, C. J., Magalhães, A., Summavielle, T., Melo, P., De Sousa, L., Tavares, M. A., & Monteiro, P. R. R. (2008). Hormonal, Neurochemical, and Behavioral Response to a Forced Swim Test in Adolescent Rats throughout Cocaine Withdrawal. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1139(1), 366-373. https://doi.org/10.1196/annals.1432.047
Exposure to cocaine in early periods of postnatal life is usually associated with changes in development of neurotransmitter systems and structure of the central nervous system. Such changes are most likely correlated with behavioral alterations. Environmental enrichment conditions (EC) in early stages is a factor that affects structural and behavioral development. The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of EC on rats postnatally exposed to cocaine on exploratory behavior. Wistar rats were assigned to four groups—Group 1: pups exposed to cocaine hydrochloride (15 mg/kg body weight/day) s.c., in two daily doses, from postnatal day (PND) 1 to 28 and reared in EC; Group 2: pups exposed to cocaine as previously described and reared in a standard environmental conditions (SC); Group 3: pups saline-injected and reared in EC; and Group 4: pups saline-injected and reared in SC. On PND 21, 24, and 28, groups of four rats (to reduce anxiety) were placed for 10 minutes into an arena with several objects. The following exploratory behavioral categories were examined: object interaction, exploration, manipulation, approximation, and total time of object contact. Animals from Group 2 showed decreased object interaction and total contact on PND 21. Control offspring reared in EE showed decreases in exploratory behavior at all ages analyzed compared with the control SE group, while cocaine-exposed animals reared in EC showed decreased object interaction, object approximation, and total exploratory behavior. The results in this group suggest that EC improved information acquisition and memory processes in animals postnatally exposed to cocaine.
Título: Exploratory Behavior in Rats Postnatally Exposed to Cocaine and Housed in an Enriched Environment
Revista: ANNALS of New York Academy of Sciences
JCR: 5.691
Referência bibliográfica: Magalhães, A., Melo, P., Alves, C. J., Tavares, M. A., De Sousa, L., & Summavielle, T. (2008). Exploratory Behavior in Rats Postnatally Exposed to Cocaine and Housed in an Enriched Environment. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1139(1), 358-365. https://doi.org/10.1196/annals.1432.046
A series of primaquine-derived imidazolidin-4-ones were screened for their in vitro activity against Pneumocystis carinii and Plasmodium falciparum W2 strain. Most compounds were active against P. carinii above 10 lg/mL and displayed slight to marked activity. The imidazolidin-4-ones most active against P. carinii were also those most active antiplasmodial agents, in the lM range. One of the tested imidazolidin-4-ones was slightly more active than the parent primaquine and may represent a lead compound for the development of novel anti- P. carinii 8-aminoquinolines with increased stability and resistance to metabolic inactivation.
Título: Anti-Pneumocystis carinii and antiplasmodial activities of primaquine-derived imidazolidin-4-ones
JCR: 2.531 (2008)
Revista: Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry Letters
Referência bibliográfica: Vale, N., Collins, M. S., Gut, J., Ferraz, R., Rosenthal, P. J., Cushion, M. T., Moreira, R., & Gomes, P. (2008). Anti-Pneumocystis carinii and antiplasmodial activities of primaquine-derived imidazolidin-4-ones. Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry Letters, 18(2), 485-488. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bmcl.2007.11.105
