title: Effects of acute administration of nicotine on convulsive movements and blood levels of corticosterone in old rats.
abstract: The convulsive movements, blood levels of corticosterone and pharmacokinetics of nicotine after an acute intraperitoneal injection of nicotine (5 mg/kg) were examined in young (6-week-old) and old (2-year-old) rats. In pharmacokinetic study, blood nicotine levels during the elimination phase were significantly higher in old rats than in young rats. However, the duration of convulsions and the elevation of corticosterone levels after the nicotine injection showed significant decreases in old rats compared with those in young rats. These differences of nicotine-induced responses between young and old rats may be involved in the decrease in nicotine sensitivity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Nara Medical University, Kashihara, Japan.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Okamoto
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kita
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Okuda
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nakashima
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D003345:Corticosterone / Q000097:blood*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004830:Epilepsy, Tonic-Clonic / Q000139:chemically induced; D007274:Injections, Intraperitoneal; D008297:Male; D009068:Movement / Q000187:drug effects*; D009538:Nicotine / Q000097:blood / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012640:Seizures / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000523:psychology; D013056:Spectrophotometry, Ultraviolet; D014202:Tremor / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000523:psychology
chemical_list: D009538:Nicotine; D003345:Corticosterone