title: Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol interferes with the establishment and the expression of conditioned rejection reactions produced by cyclophosphamide: a rat model of nausea.
abstract: Reliable animal models of nausea are necessary to better understand the neurobiology of nausea and to assess treatment effectiveness. We present such a model based on conditioned rejection reactions in rats. Our results demonstrate that delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), a treatment reported to reduce chemotherapy-induced nausea in humans, also reduces conditioned rejection reactions in rats. Rats were administered THC or vehicle prior to a pairing of saccharin solution with cyclophosphamide or saline during conditioning and/or prior to test. THC interfered with the establishment of cyclophosphamide-induced conditioned rejection during conditioning and with the expression of conditioned rejection during testing. Our results confirm that the conditioned rejection reaction in the rat is a useful animal model of nausea.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: C L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Limebeer
authors.forename: L A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Parker
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000932:Antiemetics / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001362:Avoidance Learning / Q000187:drug effects*; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects; D003214:Conditioning, Classical / Q000187:drug effects*; D003520:Cyclophosphamide / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004326:Drinking / Q000187:drug effects; D013759:Dronabinol / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D009325:Nausea / Q000139:chemically induced*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012439:Saccharin; D012996:Solutions; D013649:Taste / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D000932:Antiemetics; D012996:Solutions; D013759:Dronabinol; D003520:Cyclophosphamide; D012439:Saccharin