Abstract
α-Conotoxin TxIB is a specific antagonist of α6/α3β2β3(α6β2*) nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) with an IC50 of 28 nM. Previous studies have shown that α6β2* nAChRs are abundantly expressed in midbrain dopaminergic neurons and play an important role in mediating the mechanism of nicotine and other drugs reward effect. It provided important targets for the development of anti-addiction drugs. The present study evaluated the pharmacological activity of TxIB in vivo with conditioned place preference (CPP) model, which were induced by subcutaneous injection (s.c.) of nicotine (NIC, 0.5 mg/kg). α-Conotoxin TxIB inhibited the expression and reinstatement of CPP in mice dose-dependently, but had no significant effect on locomotor activity. The concentrations of dopamine (DA), γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and noradrenaline (NE) in different brain regions were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). We found that TxIB could inhibit the concentrations of DA, GABA and NE in different brain regions (such as nucleus accumbens (NAc), hippocampus (HIP) and prefrontal cortex (PFC)) in NIC-induced mice. The concentrations of DA and NE were decreased in ventral tegmental area (VTA), while GABA had little change. The current work described the inhibition activity of TxIB in NIC-induced CPP, suggesting that α6β2* nAChR-targeted compound may be a promising drug for nicotine addiction treatment.
Highlights
Six million people die from diseases that were induced by smoking every year in the world [1]
We found that TxIB could inhibit the concentrations of DA, γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and NE in different brain regions (such as nucleus accumbens (NAc), hippocampus (HIP) and prefrontal cortex (PFC)) in NIC-induced mice
The current work described the inhibition activity of TxIB in NIC-induced conditioned place preference (CPP), suggesting that α6β2* nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR)-targeted compound may be a promising drug for nicotine addiction treatment
Summary
Six million people die (including 480,000 people in the US) from diseases that were induced by smoking every year in the world [1]. As the main active ingredient in tobacco, can cause tobacco dependence, because it binds to nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) in the central and peripheral nervous systems [2]. Denotes possible assembly with other nicotinic receptor subunits) were expressed in dopaminergic neurons of the central nervous system (CNS), such as the nucleus accumbens (NAc) and ventral tegmental area (VTA). It suggested that α6β2* nAChRs may play a key role in regulating emotions and nicotine rewards [6,7]. The α6β2* nAChRs are expressed in the catecholamine nucleus of the midbrain region, which is thought to mediate drug reward and enhancement effect in rodents and
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