AI Article Synopsis
- Lorcaserin is an FDA-approved medication for obesity that also reduces cocaine use in animal studies, highlighting its potential as a treatment for stimulant abuse.
- The study aimed to measure how effectively lorcaserin decreases self-administration of cocaine and MDPV (a "bath salts" drug) and to identify the specific serotonin receptors involved in this effect.
- Results showed that lorcaserin equally decreased the self-administration of both substances, and that blocking certain serotonin receptors hindered its effectiveness, suggesting that targeting these receptors could be beneficial for stimulant addiction therapies.
Article Abstract
Lorcaserin is a serotonin (5-HT) receptor-preferring agonist approved by the US Food and Drug Administration to treat obesity. Lorcaserin decreases cocaine self-administration in rats and monkeys. Although this effect is partially inhibited by a 5-HT receptor antagonist (SB242084), lorcaserin also has effects at 5-HT and 5-HT receptors, and the relative contribution of these receptors to its anti-cocaine effects has not been investigated. The goals of this study were to determine 1) the potency and effectiveness of lorcaserin to decrease self-administration of cocaine and 3,4-methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV), a common "bath salts" constituent; and 2) the receptor(s) mediating the effects of lorcaserin on cocaine and MDPV self-administration. Male Sprague-Dawley rats ( = 6) were trained to self-administer MDPV under a progressive ratio schedule of reinforcement and maintained under this schedule with daily access to 0.32 mg/kg per infusion of cocaine or 0.032 mg/kg per infusion of MDPV. Dose-response curves for the effects of lorcaserin on cocaine and MDPV self-administration were generated by administering lorcaserin (0.1-5.6 mg/kg) 25 minutes before the start of the session. To assess the effects of 5-HT (SB242084, 0.1 mg/kg), 5-HT (MDL100907, 0.1 mg/kg), and 5-HT (WAY100635, 0.178 mg/kg) receptor antagonists, they were administered 15 minutes before lorcaserin. Lorcaserin decreased cocaine and MDPV self-administration with equal potency. Antagonism of 5-HT (but not 5-HT or 5-HT) receptors blocked the effects of lorcaserin on cocaine and MDPV self-administration. Taken together, these data provide additional support for further development of 5-HT receptor agonists, such as lorcaserin, for the treatment of stimulant abuse.
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| http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5787931 | PMC |
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1124/jpet.117.246082 | DOI Listing |
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