title: Subchronic administration of short-acting naltrexone has no effect on striatal dopamine transporter availability, food intake or body weight gain in rats.
abstract: The opioid receptor antagonist naltrexone is successfully used in the treatment of opioid and alcohol dependence. However, questions have been raised about possible anhedonic side effects, because the opioid system is directly involved in hedonic responses to natural rewarding activities, possibly due to its indirect effects on the striatal dopamine transporter (DAT). In order to test this hypothesis, 30 rats were randomized to either a 10-day treatment with 3 mg/kg short-acting naltrexone or vehicle. No significant differences between the groups were found in striatal DAT availability, cumulative food intake (for 48 or 72 h), body weight gain and abdominal fatpad weight. Thus, the results of this study suggest that (sub)chronic treatment with short-acting naltrexone does not induce possible anhedonic effects. However, it cannot be ruled out the anhedonic effect of naltrexone is only short-lived and thus not detected in the current study. Therefore, future studies are needed to study possible acute anhedonic effects at several time points shortly after short-acting naltrexone administration and to directly compare the possible anhedonic effects of long-acting with those of short-acting opioid antagonists.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands Amsterdam Institute for Addiction Research, Department of Psychiatry, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands ezaaijer@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Eline R
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Zaaijer
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Kora
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: de Bruin
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Susanne E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: la Fleur
authors.affiliation: Amsterdam Institute for Addiction Research, Department of Psychiatry, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands Arkin Mental Health Care, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Anna E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Goudriaan
authors.affiliation: Amsterdam Institute for Addiction Research, Department of Psychiatry, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Wim
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: van den Brink
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Booij
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D003342:Corpus Striatum / Q000378:metabolism; D050483:Dopamine Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D004435:Eating / Q000187:drug effects*; D008297:Male; D009271:Naltrexone / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009292:Narcotic Antagonists / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D050483:Dopamine Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins; D009292:Narcotic Antagonists; D009271:Naltrexone
keywords: [123I]-FP-CIT; anhedonia; corpus striatum; dopamine plasma membrane transport proteins; naltrexone; rats