title: Acute behavioral effects of co-administration of mephedrone and MDMA in mice.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Abuse of more than one psychoactive drug is becoming a global problem. Our experiments were designed to examine the effects of a concomitant administration of 3,4-methylenedioxy-methamphetamine (MDMA) and mephedrone on depression- and anxiety-like behaviors and cognitive processes in Swiss mice.
  
  
  METHODS
  In order to investigate the drug interactions the forced swimming test (FST) - an animal model of depression, the passive avoidance (PA) test - a memory and learning paradigm, as well as the elevated plus maze (EPM) test - test for anxiety level were used.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The results revealed that a concomitant administration of non-effective doses of mephedrone (1mg/kg) and MDMA (1mg/kg) exerted marked antidepressive effects in the FST. Also a co-administration of mephedrone (2.5mg/kg) and MDMA (1mg/kg) displayed a pro-cognitive action in the PA paradigm. Furthermore, even though mephedrone and MDMA can, in general, exert some anxiogenic effects in mice, the concomitant administration of nonactive doses of both drugs (0.05 and 0.1mg/kg, respectively) in the EPM test, did not show any synergistic effect in our study.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The effects of mephedrone and MDMA combination on mammalian organisms were attempted to be evaluated in our study and the results are described in the present report. These results may help explain the reasons for and consequences of a concomitant administration of psychoactive substances with regards to the central nervous system, while being possibly useful in the treatment of polydrug intoxication.
authors.affiliation: Medical University of Lublin, Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacodynamics, Lublin, Poland. Electronic address: basia.budzynska@umlub.pl.
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Budzynska
authors.affiliation: Medical University of Lublin, Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacodynamics, Lublin, Poland.
authors.forename: Agnieszka
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Michalak
authors.affiliation: Institute of Pharmacology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Department of Pharmacology, Kraków, Poland.
authors.forename: Małgorzata
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Frankowska
authors.affiliation: Medical University of Lublin, Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacodynamics, Lublin, Poland.
authors.forename: Katarzyna
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kaszubska
authors.affiliation: Medical University of Lublin, Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacodynamics, Lublin, Poland.
authors.forename: Grażyna
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Biała
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage; D001007:Anxiety / Q000188:drug therapy*; D003071:Cognition / Q000187:drug effects; D003863:Depression / Q000188:drug therapy*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004347:Drug Interactions; D008297:Male; D018782:Maze Learning / Q000187:drug effects; D008568:Memory / Q000187:drug effects; D008694:Methamphetamine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000031:analogs & derivatives*; D051379:Mice; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000187:drug effects; D018817:N-Methyl-3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D013550:Swimming
chemical_list: D000928:Antidepressive Agents; D008694:Methamphetamine; C548233:mephedrone; D018817:N-Methyl-3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine
keywords: Anxiety; Depression; MDMA; Memory; Mephedrone; Mice