Abstract
The main goal of this study was to evaluate if the administration of cannabidiol (CBD) regulates behavioral and gene expression alterations induced by spontaneous alcohol withdrawal (SAW) in mice. Increasing doses of ethanol were administered to C57BL/6J male mice for 15 days (2.5, 3 and 3.5 g/kg/12 h, p. o.), and SAW was studied at 6, 12, 24, and 72 h after the last ethanol administration. The efficacy of acute CBD (10, 20, and 40 mg/kg, i. p.) to regulate behavioral changes induced by SAW was explored at 6 h. Gene expression analyses of cannabinoid receptors 1 (Cnr1) and 2 (Cnr2), mu-opioid receptor (Opmr1), and proopiomelanocortin (Pomc) in the nucleus accumbens (NAcc), and Pomc and tyrosine hydroxylase (Th) in the ventral tegmental area (VTA), were carried out by real time-PCR. Pearson correlation was used to identify potential associations between the gene expression data and the anxiety-like behaviors. Biostatistical studies suggest associations between gene expression data and the anxiogenic behaviors in mice exposed to the SAW model and treated with VEH and 40 mg/kg of CBD. Mice exposed to the SAW model showed significant somatic withdrawal signs, anxiety-like behaviors, and remarkable changes in the gene expression of all brain targets at 6 h. CBD dose-dependently normalized the behavioral, somatic withdrawal signs and anxiety-like behaviors and modulated gene expression changes in the NAcc, but not in the VTA. The results of this study suggest that CBD may regulate specific alcohol withdrawal-associated alterations. However, further studies are required to explore the possible mechanisms involved.
Keywords: Alcohol withdrawal, Cannabidiol, Correlation studies, Gene expression
Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Conflict of interest statement
Declaration of competing interest None.
Similar articles
-
CBD-mediated regulation of heroin withdrawal-induced behavioural and molecular changes in mice.Addict Biol. 2022 Mar;27(2):e13150. doi: 10.1111/adb.13150.PMID: 35229949
-
Cannabidiol regulates behavioural alterations and gene expression changes induced by spontaneous cannabinoid withdrawal.Br J Pharmacol. 2018 Jul;175(13):2676-2688. doi: 10.1111/bph.14226. Epub 2018 May 3.PMID: 29624642 Free PMC article.
-
Cannabidiol Modulates Behavioural and Gene Expression Alterations Induced by Spontaneous Cocaine Withdrawal.Neurotherapeutics. 2021 Jan;18(1):615-623. doi: 10.1007/s13311-020-00976-6. Epub 2020 Nov 23.PMID: 33230690 Free PMC article.
-
Cannabidiol reduces ethanol consumption, motivation and relapse in mice.Addict Biol. 2018 Jan;23(1):154-164. doi: 10.1111/adb.12495. Epub 2017 Feb 13.PMID: 28194850
-
Gender differences in the effects of cannabidiol on ethanol binge drinking in mice.Addict Biol. 2020 May;25(3):e12765. doi: 10.1111/adb.12765. Epub 2019 May 9.PMID: 31074060
LinkOut – more resources
-
Full Text Sources
-
Research Materials
-
Miscellaneous