L-stepholidine, a natural dopamine receptor D1 agonist and D2 antagonist, inhibits heroin-induced reinstatement

  • Neurosci Lett. 2014 Jan 24;559:67-71. doi: 10.1016/j.neulet.2013.10.066.
Baomiao Ma  1 ,  Kai Yue  1 ,  Lin Chen  1 ,  Xiang Tian  1 ,  Qin Ru  1 ,  Yongping Gan  2 ,  Daisong Wang  2 ,  Guozhang Jin  3 ,  Chaoying Li  4
Affiliations
  • 1. Wuhan Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Jianghan University, Wuhan 430056, China.
  • 2. Drug Prevention and Education Center, Hubei Public Security Bureau, Wuhan 430070, China.
  • 3. Wuhan Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Jianghan University, Wuhan 430056, China; Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201213, China.
  • 4. Wuhan Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Jianghan University, Wuhan 430056, China. Electronic address: [email protected].
PMID: 24269875 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2013.10.066
Abstract

L-Stepholidine (l-SPD), an alkaloid extract of the Chinese herb Stephania intermedia, is the first compound known to exhibit mixed dopamine D1 receptor agonist/D2 antagonist properties and is a potential medication for the treatment of opiate addiction. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of pretreatment with L-SPD on heroin-seeking behavior induced by heroin priming. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were trained to self-administer heroin (0.05mg/kg per infusion) under a fixed ratio 1 schedule for 12 consecutive days and nose-poke responding was extinguished for 12 days, after which reinstatement of drug seeking was induced by heroin priming. Pretreatment with L-SPD (2.5, 5.0 and 10.0mg/kg, i.p.) inhibited the heroin-induced reinstatement of heroin-seeking behavior. Importantly, L-SPD did not affect locomotion, indicating that the observed effects of L-SPD on reinstatement are not the result of motor impairments. The present data suggested that l-SPD inhibits heroin-induced reinstatement and its potential for the treatment of heroin relapse.

Keywords
Dopamine receptor; Heroin; Relapse; Self-administration; l-Stepholidine.
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