title: Oxytocin attenuates aversive response to nicotine and anxiety-like behavior in adolescent rats.
abstract: Initial tobacco use is initiated with rewarding and aversive properties of nicotine and aversive response to nicotine plays a critical role in nicotine dependency. Decrease of nicotine aversion increases the nicotine use that causes behavioral and neuronal changes of animals. Oxytocin influences drug abuse and reciprocally affect vulnerability to drug use. To assess the effect of oxytocin on initial nicotine aversion and anxiety, we examined voluntary oral nicotine intake and anxiety-like behavior following oxytocin treatment in adolescent rats. Sprague-Dawley male rats (4 weeks old) were used. For oxytocin administration, rats were injected subcutaneously with saline or oxytocin (0.01, 0.1 and 1mg/kg) according to the assigned groups. Voluntary oral nicotine consumption test was performed by two bottle free-choice paradigm. To examine anxiety-like behavior in rats, we performed a light/dark box test. Oxytocin not only significantly increased the nicotine intake but also alleviated nicotine aversion after acclimation to nicotine solution in a concentration dependent manner. Meanwhile, oxytocin significantly reduced anxiety-like behavior. We suggest that oxytocin itself mitigates aversive response toward initial nicotine intake and anxiety-like behavior. These results widen the psychophysiological perspective on oxytocin for better understanding of nicotine addiction related behaviors influenced by diverse social factors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Science Education, Dankook University, 152 Jukjeon-ro, Suji-gu, Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do, 16890, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Hyunchan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Science Education, Dankook University, 152 Jukjeon-ro, Suji-gu, Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do, 16890, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Minji
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jang
authors.affiliation: Department of Science Education, Dankook University, 152 Jukjeon-ro, Suji-gu, Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do, 16890, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: jihyun2@dankook.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Jihyun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Noh
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001007:Anxiety / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology; D001362:Avoidance Learning; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D008297:Male; D009538:Nicotine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010121:Oxytocin / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012919:Social Behavior
chemical_list: D010121:Oxytocin; D009538:Nicotine
keywords: Anxiety; Mice; Nicotine aversion; Nicotine intake; Oxytocin; Social factor