Effects of morphine dependence and withdrawal on levels of neurosteroids in rat brain

• 来源期刊: 中国药理学报（英文版）
• 关键词: morphine dependence withdrawal steroids mass fragmentography
• 年，卷（期）: 2004,（10）
• 页码范围: 1285-1291
• 页数: 7页
• 语种: 英文

摘要

AIM: To investigate the effects of morphine dependence and withdrawal on the concentrations of neurosteroids in rat brain. METHODS: A method of simultaneous quantification of neurosteroids by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) had been established. RESULTS: The chronic morphine administration (ip) resulted in a marked decrease in the brain concentrations of pregnenolone (PREG), progesterone (PROG), and pregenenolone sulfate (PREGS) in rats killed 6 h after the last treatment. In contrast, there were no significant effects of morphine dependence on the brain concentrations of allopregnanolone (AP), dihydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), and dihydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS). Naloxone-induced withdrawal produced a significant increase in the concentrations of PREG, PROG, AP, DHEA, PREGS, and DHEAS as compared with the control group.CONCLUSION: Morphine dependence and withdrawal affected the concentrations of neurosteroids in rat brain,which suggests that endogenous neurosteroids in brain might be related to the development of morphine dependence and withdrawal.