title: Involvement of kappa/dynorphin system in WIN 55,212-2 self-administration in mice.
abstract: Self-administration procedures have not yet provided evidence that freely moving mice can reliably acquire and maintain an operant behavior to self-administer cannabinoid agonists. The aim of the present work was to establish a model of cannabinoid operant intravenous self-administration in freely moving mice given the relevance of this species for the use of genetically modified animals. In addition, the possible involvement of the kappa/dynorphin system in cannabinoid self-administration was evaluated by using pro-dynorphin knockout mice. Outbred CD1 wild-type mice as well as pro-dynorphin knockout and wild-type mice were trained to self-administer the cannabinoid receptor agonist WIN 55,212-2 under an FR1 schedule of reinforcement. Two cannabinoid training doses (6.25 and 12.5 microg/kg/infusion) were used in the acquisition studies in outbred mice. Animals acquired a reliable operant responding to self-administer WIN 55,212-2 (12.5 microg/kg/infusion), but required as many as 15 sessions to attain this behavior. Interestingly, when a previous injection of WIN 55,212-2 (0.1 mg/kg, i.p.) was administered in the home-cage 24 h before the first session, mice acquired operant responding for cannabinoid self-administration by the fourth session. When the kappa-opioid agonist antagonist nor-binaltorphimine (5 mg/kg s.c.) was administered 4 h before the first session, the time required to acquire a reliable cannabinoid self-administration was also significantly reduced. Finally, a shift to the left in the dose-intake curve to self-administer WIN 55,212-2 was observed in pro-dynorphin knockout mice when compared to wild-type mice. These results indicate that the activation of the kappa/dynorphin opioid system after WIN 55,212-2 administration could counteract cannabinoid rewarding effects.
authors.affiliation: Laboratori de Neurofarmacologia, Facultat de Ciències de la Salut i de la Vida, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Victoria
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Mendizábal
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zimmer
authors.forename: Rafael
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Maldonado
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D048588:Benzoxazines; D002186:Cannabinoids / Q000494:pharmacology*; D003216:Conditioning, Operant / Q000187:drug effects; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004399:Dynorphins / Q000502:physiology*; D004745:Enkephalins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D009025:Morpholines / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009271:Naltrexone / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000494:pharmacology; D009281:Naphthalenes / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011498:Protein Precursors / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D043884:Receptor, Cannabinoid, CB1 / Q000819:agonists; D017473:Receptors, Opioid, kappa / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000502:physiology*; D012646:Self Administration
chemical_list: D048588:Benzoxazines; D002186:Cannabinoids; D004745:Enkephalins; D009025:Morpholines; D009281:Naphthalenes; D011498:Protein Precursors; D043884:Receptor, Cannabinoid, CB1; D017473:Receptors, Opioid, kappa; C051844:norbinaltorphimine; C070417:(3R)-((2,3-dihydro-5-methyl-3-((4-morpholinyl)methyl)pyrrolo-(1,2,3-de)-1,4-benzoxazin-6-yl)(1-naphthalenyl))methanone; D009271:Naltrexone; D004399:Dynorphins; C033660:preproenkephalin