title: How various drugs affect anxiety-related behavior in male and female rats prenatally exposed to methamphetamine.
abstract: Different forms of anxiety-related behavior have been reported after a single drug use of many abused substances, however, less is known about how males and females are affected differently from exposure to various drugs. Furthermore, chronic prenatal methamphetamine (MA) exposure was shown to predispose the animal to an increased sensitivity to drugs administrated in adulthood. Using the Elevated plus-maze test (EPM), the first aim of the present study was to examine how male and female rats are affected by acute drug treatment with subcutaneously (s.c.) administrated (a) MA (1mg/kg); (b) drugs with a similar mechanism of action to MA: amphetamine (AMP, 1mg/kg), cocaine (COC, 5mg/kg), 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, 5mg/kg); and (c) drugs with different mechanisms of action: morphine (MOR, 5mg/kg), and Δ 9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC, 2mg/kg). The second aim was to determine if prenatally MA-exposed (5mg/kg) animals show an increased sensitivity to adult drug treatment. The parameters analyzed were divided into two categories: anxiety-related behavior and anxiety-unrelated/exploratory behavior. Our results showed in female rats a decreased percentage of the time spent in the closed arms (CA) after MA, and an increased percentage of the time spent in the open arms (OA) after MA, AMP, and COC treatment, indicating an anxiolytic-like effect. In females, MDMA and THC treatment increased the percentage of the time spent in the CA. An increased percentage of the time spent in the CA was also seen after MOR treatment in females as well as in males, indicating an anxiogenic-like effect. As far as the interaction between prenatal MA exposure and adult drug treatment is concerned, there was no effect found. In conclusion, it seems that: (a) in some cases female rats are more vulnerable to acute drug treatment, in terms of either anxiogenic- or anxiolytic-like effects; (b) prenatal MA exposure does not sensitize animals to the anxiety-related effects of any of the drugs.
authors.affiliation: Charles University in Prague, Third Faculty of Medicine, Department of Normal, Pathological and Clinical Physiology, Prague, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Macúchová
authors.affiliation: Charles University in Prague, Third Faculty of Medicine, Department of Normal, Pathological and Clinical Physiology, Prague, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ševčíková
authors.affiliation: Charles University in Prague, Third Faculty of Medicine, Department of Normal, Pathological and Clinical Physiology, Prague, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Hrebíčková
authors.affiliation: Charles University in Prague, Third Faculty of Medicine, Department of Normal, Pathological and Clinical Physiology, Prague, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nohejlová
authors.affiliation: Charles University in Prague, Third Faculty of Medicine, Department of Normal, Pathological and Clinical Physiology, Prague, Czech Republic. Electronic address: romana.slamberova@lf3.cuni.cz.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Šlamberová
mesh_terms: D000700:Analgesics / Q000494:pharmacology; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D001007:Anxiety / Q000139:chemically induced*; D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants / Q000633:toxicity*; D030762:Estrous Cycle / Q000187:drug effects; D005106:Exploratory Behavior / Q000187:drug effects; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D018782:Maze Learning / Q000187:drug effects; D008694:Methamphetamine / Q000633:toxicity*; D018817:N-Methyl-3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine / Q000494:pharmacology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D051381:Rats; D018490:Serotonin Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D012737:Sex Factors; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D000700:Analgesics; D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants; D018490:Serotonin Agents; D008694:Methamphetamine; D018817:N-Methyl-3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine
keywords: Anxiety-related behavior; Elevated plus-maze test; Prenatal methamphetamine; Sensitization; Sex-dimorphism