Brain cannabinoid CB? receptors modulate cocaine's actions in mice.

ABSTRACT: The presence and function of cannabinoid CB(2) receptors in the brain have been the subjects of much debate. We found that systemic, intranasal or intra-accumbens local administration of JWH133, a selective CB(2) receptor agonist, dose-dependently inhibited intravenous cocaine self-administration, cocaine-enhanced locomotion, and cocaine-enhanced accumbens extracellular dopamine in wild-type and CB(1) receptor knockout (CB(1)(-/-), also known as Cnr1(-/-)) mice, but not in CB(2)(-/-) (Cnr2(-/-)) mice. This inhibition was mimicked by GW405833, another CB(2) receptor agonist with a different chemical structure, and was blocked by AM630, a selective CB(2) receptor antagonist. Intra-accumbens administration of JWH133 alone dose-dependently decreased, whereas intra-accumbens administration of AM630 elevated, extracellular dopamine and locomotion in wild-type and CB(1)(-/-) mice, but not in CB(2)(-/-) mice. Intra-accumbens administration of AM630 also blocked the reduction in cocaine self-administration and extracellular dopamine produced by systemic administration of JWH133. These findings suggest that brain CB(2) receptors modulate cocaine's rewarding and locomotor-stimulating effects, likely by a dopamine-dependent mechanism.

SUBMITTER: Xi ZX 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3164946 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature