title: Cocaine and mitochondria-related signaling in the brain: A mechanistic view and future directions.
abstract: Cocaine is extensively used as a psychostimulant among subjects at different ages worldwide. Cocaine causes neuronal dysfunction and, consequently, negatively affects human behavior and decreases life quality severely. Cocaine acts through diverse mechanisms, including mitochondrial impairment and activation of cell signaling pathways associated to stress response. There is some controversy regarding the effect of cocaine in inducing cell death through apoptosis in different experimental models. The aim of the present work is to discuss data associated to the mitochondrial consequences of cocaine exposure of mammalian cells in several experimental models from in vitro to in vivo, including postmortem human tissue analyses. Furthermore, future directions are proposed in order to serve as a suggestive guide in relation to the next steps towards the complete elucidation of the mechanisms of toxicity elicited by cocaine upon mitochondria of neuronal cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry/ICET, Federal University of Mato Grosso (UFMT), Av. Fernando Corrêa da Costa, 2367, CEP 78060-900, Cuiaba, MT, Brazil. Electronic address: mrobioq@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Marcos Roberto
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: de Oliveira
authors.affiliation: Instituto Geral de Perícias (IGP, Forensic Institute), Departamento de Perícias Laboratoriais, Forensic Toxicology Division, Postmortem Toxicology Sector, Av. Ipiranga, 1807, CEP 90160093, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Fernanda Rafaela
authors.initials: FR
authors.lastname: Jardim
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects*; D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants / Q000494:pharmacology*; D003042:Cocaine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D017628:Microglia / Q000187:drug effects; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000187:drug effects*; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects; D051381:Rats; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants; D003042:Cocaine
keywords: Apoptosis; Brain; Cocaine; Mitochondria; Oxidative stress