title: Behavioral and neurochemical interactions between cocaine and buprenorphine: implications for the pharmacotherapy of cocaine abuse.
abstract: Intravenous self-administration studies in nonhuman primates suggest that the opioid receptor agonist-antagonist buprenorphine may be useful in the pharmacotherapy of cocaine abuse. In the present studies, behavioral and neurochemical interactions between cocaine and buprenorphine were examined using a conditioned place preference (CPP) procedure and in vivo microdialysis. Cocaine-induced CPP was linearly related to the dose administered (0-5.0 mg/kg). Buprenorphine (0-0.9 mg/kg) also elicited CPP in a dose-related manner; an inverted U-shaped function was obtained. Subthreshold doses of cocaine (1.5 mg/kg) and buprenorphine (0.01 mg/kg), themselves incapable of eliciting CPP, produced a significant CPP when given together. Moderate doses of cocaine (5.0 mg/kg) and buprenorphine (0.075 mg/kg), which were individually capable of eliciting CPP, produced a significantly larger CPP when given in combination. In the in vivo microdialysis studies, a low dose of buprenorphine (0.01 mg/kg) produced a progressive increase in extracellular dopamine in the nucleus accumbens, reaching approximately 200% of basal levels after 5 hr. Cocaine (5.0 mg/kg) rapidly increased extracellular dopamine concentrations (180% of basal values within 20 min), which returned to baseline in 2 to 3 hr. This effect of cocaine was significantly potentiated by coadministering buprenorphine (0.01 mg/kg); under this condition the peak increase in extracellular dopamine reached 260% of baseline values. These neurochemical findings are consistent with the CPP results and indicate that buprenorphine can interact with cocaine in a synergistic manner. In contrast to previous speculations, these results suggest that buprenorphine may enhance rather than attenuate the rewarding properties of cocaine.
authors.affiliation: Division of Neurological Sciences, Department of Psychiatry, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
authors.forename: E E
authors.initials: EE
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Finlay
authors.forename: J T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Wong
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Damsma
authors.forename: H C
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Fibiger
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects; D002047:Buprenorphine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D003042:Cocaine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D003956:Dialysis / Q000379:methods; D004298:Dopamine / Q000378:metabolism; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004347:Drug Interactions; D005110:Extracellular Space / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D009714:Nucleus Accumbens / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy
chemical_list: D002047:Buprenorphine; D003042:Cocaine; D004298:Dopamine