Nicotine exposure throughout early development promotes nicotine self-administration in adolescent mice and induces long-lasting behavioural changes.

Maternal cigarette smoking during pregnancy can result in behavioural problems of the offspring. Although the causative agent in tobacco smoke that leads to these aberrations is not known, some studies using animal models have supported the hypothesis that nicotine may cause impairments in fatal and neonatal development. However, in many of the animal studies nicotine has been administered by subcutaneous injections, which could lead to significant fetal hypoxia; some routes of drug administration included stressful procedures to pregnant dams that could create unfavorable fetal environment.

Effect of forced chronic oral nicotine exposure on intravenous self-administration and rewarding properties of acute nicotine.

The effect of 7-week forced oral nicotine exposure on acquisition of intravenous nicotine self-administration, nicotine place conditioning, and nicotine preference was studied in mice. The nicotine solution was given in stepwise increased concentrations as the sole source of liquid for 7 weeks. Nicotine exposed animals self-administered nicotine intravenously at lower unit dose than nicotine-naïve ones, indicating that the forced 7-week nicotine exposure, followed by 7-day withdrawal, had rendered them more sensitive to nicotine's reinforcing effects.

Marinobufagenin (MBG) suppression of ethanol-seeking behavior is associated with inhibition of brain cortex Na/K-ATPase in mice.

In the present study the hypothesis was tested that sodium pump ligands (SPL) can modulate alcohol-seeking behavior and that this effect is related to changes in Na/K-ATPase activity in the central nervous system. Mice were tested for initiation of ethanol intravenous self-administration (IVSA) following i.p.

Endogenous digitalis-like ligands of the sodium pump: possible involvement in mood control and ethanol addiction.

This review addresses possible involvement of endogenous digitalis-like sodium pump ligands (SPL) in the mood control and ethanol addiction. Endogenous SPL include cardenolide and bufadienolide classes. Multiple SPL and multiple isoforms of the Na/K-ATPase, one of the key membrane enzymes, comprise a complex regulatory system.