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Cadet, J. L.

Publications and source records attributed to Cadet, J. L..

2 recordsLinked to original sources

Prolonged Withdrawal from Escalated Oxycodone is Associated with Increased Expression of Glutamate Receptors in the Rat Hippocampus

People suffering from opioid use disorder (OUD) exhibit cognitive dysfunctions. Here, we investigated potential changes in the expression of glutamate receptors in rat hippocampi at 2 hours and 31 days after the last session of oxycodone self-administration (SA). RNA extracted from the hippocampus was used in quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) analyses. Rats, given long-access (9 hours per day) to oxycodone (LgA), took significantly more drug than rats exposed to short-access (3 hours per day) (ShA). In addition, LgA rats could be further divided into higher oxycodone taking (LgA-H) or lower oxycodone taking (LgA-L) groups, based on a cut-off of 50 infusions per day. LgA rats, but not ShA, rats exhibited incubation of oxycodone craving. In addition, LgA rats showed increased mRNA expression of GluA1-3 and GluN2a-c subunits as well as Grm3, Grm5, Grm6 and Grm8 subtypes of glutamate receptors after 31 days but not after 2 hours of stopping the SA experiment. Changes in GluA1-3, Grm6, and Grm8 mRNA levels also correlated with increased lever pressing (incubation) after long periods of withdrawal from oxycodone. More studies are needed to elucidate the molecular mechanisms involved in altering the expression of these receptors during withdrawal from oxycodone and/or incubation of drug seeking.

neuroscience↗

Oxycodone self-administration activates the mitogen-activated protein kinase/mitogen- and stress-activated protein kinase (MAPK-MSK) signaling pathway in the rat dorsal striatum

To identify signaling pathways activated by oxycodone self-administration (SA), Sprague-Dawley rats self-administered oxycodone for 20 days using short-access (ShA, 3 h) and long-access (LgA, 9 h) paradigms. Animals were euthanized two hours after SA cessation and dorsal striata were used in post-mortem molecular analyses. LgA rats escalated their oxycodone intake and separated into lower (LgA-L) or higher (LgA-H) oxycodone takers. LgA-H rats showed increased striatal protein phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and MSK1/2. Histone H3, phosphorylated at serine 10 and acetylated at lysine 14 (H3S10pK14Ac), a MSK1/2 target, showed increased abundance only in LgA-H rats. RT-qPCR analyses revealed increased AMPA receptor subunits, GluA2 and GluA3 mRNAs in the LgA-H rats. GluA3, but not GluA2, expression correlated positively with changes in pMSK1/2 and H3S10pK14Ac. Our findings indicate that escalated oxycodone SA results in MSK1/2-dependent histone phosphorylation, which promoted increases in striatal gene expression. Our observations offer novel avenues for pharmacological interventions against oxycodone addiction.

neuroscience↗