Partial and full deletion of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor α4 and β2 subunits reduces sensitivity to acute nicotine administration and development of tolerance following chronic nicotine administration.

ABSTRACT: The diversity of nicotinic cholinergic receptor (nAChR) subunits underlies the complex responses to nicotine. Mice differing in the expression of α4 and β2 subunits, which are most widely expressed in brain, were evaluated for the responses to acute nicotine administration on Y-maze crossings and rears, open-field locomotion and body temperature following chronic treatment with nicotine (0, 0.25, 1.0 and 4.0 mg/kg/h). Deletion or partial deletion of the α4, β2 or both nAChR subunits reduced the sensitivity of mice to acute nicotine administration. This reduced sensitivity was gene dose-dependent. Modification of α4 subunit expression elicited a greater reduction in sensitivity than the modification of β2 subunit expression. No measurable tolerance was observed for mice of any genotype foll

SUBMITTER: Marks MJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7492369 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature