title: The effect of the anabolic steroid, nandrolone, in conditioned place preference and D1 dopamine receptor expression in adolescent and adult mice.
abstract: Adolescents and adults engage in anabolic-androgenic steroid (AAS) misuse seeking their anabolic effects, even though later on, many could develop neuropsychological dependence. Previously, we have shown that nandrolone induces conditioned place preference (CPP) in adult male mice. However, whether nandrolone induces CPP during adolescence remains unknown. In this study, the CPP test was used to determine the rewarding properties of nandrolone (7.5 mg/kg) in adolescent mice. In addition, since D1 dopamine receptors (D1DR) are critical for reward-related processes, the effect of nandrolone on the expression of D1DR in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) was investigated by Western blot analysis. Similar to our previous results, nandrolone induced CPP in adults. However, in adolescents, nandrolone failed to produce place preference. At the molecular level, nandrolone decreased D1DR expression in the NAc only in adult mice. Our data suggest that nandrolone may not be rewarding in adolescents at least during short-term use. The lack of nandrolone rewarding effects in adolescents may be due, in part to differences in D1DR expression during development.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, School of Medicine, Medical Sciences Campus, University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, PR 00936, USA.
authors.forename: Freddyson J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Martínez-Rivera
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Río Piedras Campus, University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, PR 00936, USA.
authors.forename: Eduardo J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Natal-Albelo
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Medical Sciences Campus, University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, PR 00936, USA.
authors.forename: Namyr A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Martínez
authors.affiliation: Department of Mathematics and Physics, Cayey Campus, University of Puerto Rico, PR 00736, USA.
authors.forename: Roberto A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Orozco-Vega
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Río Piedras Campus, University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, PR 00936, USA.
authors.forename: Oscar A
authors.initials: OA
authors.lastname: Muñiz-Seda
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, School of Medicine, Medical Sciences Campus, University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, PR 00936, USA. Electronic address: jennifer.barreto1@upr.edu.
authors.forename: Jennifer L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Barreto-Estrada
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000378:metabolism; D045930:Anabolic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D003216:Conditioning, Operant / Q000187:drug effects*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D009277:Nandrolone / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009714:Nucleus Accumbens / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D017447:Receptors, Dopamine D1 / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D012201:Reward
chemical_list: D045930:Anabolic Agents; D017447:Receptors, Dopamine D1; D009277:Nandrolone
keywords: Adolescents; Anabolic-androgenic steroids; D1 dopamine receptors; Nucleus accumbens; Reward