Acute behavioral effects of co-administration of mephedrone and MDMA in mice.
Barbara Budzynska, Agnieszka Michalak, Małgorzata Frankowska, Katarzyna Kaszubska, Grażyna Biała
Pharmacological Reports April 2017 DOI: 10.1016/j.pharep.2016.10.006 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Animal experimental study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Swiss mice |
| Interventions | MDMA Mephedrone |
| Dose | mephedrone 1 mg/kg and MDMA 1 mg/kg; mephedrone 2.5 mg/kg and MDMA 1 mg/kg; mephedrone 0.05 mg/kg and MDMA 0.1 mg/kg |
| Measures | forced swimming test (FST), passive avoidance (PA) test, elevated plus maze (EPM) test |
| Topics | Anxiety Depression MDMA |
| Keywords | Memory Mephedrone Mice |
| Key findings | Co-administration of otherwise non-effective doses of mephedrone and MDMA produced antidepressant-like effects in the forced swimming test and pro-cognitive effects in the passive avoidance test, while a low-dose combination did not show a synergistic effect on anxiety in the elevated plus maze. |
Abstract
Abuse of more than one psychoactive drug is becoming a global problem. Our experiments were designed to examine the effects of a concomitant administration of 3,4-methylenedioxy-methamphetamine (MDMA) and mephedrone on depression- and anxiety-like behaviors and cognitive processes in Swiss mice. In order to investigate the drug interactions the forced swimming test (FST) - an animal model of depression, the passive avoidance (PA) test - a memory and learning paradigm, as well as the elevated plus maze (EPM) test - test for anxiety level were used. The results revealed that a concomitant administration of non-effective doses of mephedrone (1mg/kg) and MDMA (1mg/kg) exerted marked antidepressive effects in the FST. Also a co-administration of mephedrone (2.5mg/kg) and MDMA (1mg/kg) displayed a pro-cognitive action in the PA paradigm. Furthermore, even though mephedrone and MDMA can, in general, exert some anxiogenic effects in mice, the concomitant administration of nonactive doses of both drugs (0.05 and 0.1mg/kg, respectively) in the EPM test, did not show any synergistic effect in our study. The effects of mephedrone and MDMA combination on mammalian organisms were attempted to be evaluated in our study and the results are described in the present report. These results may help explain the reasons for and consequences of a concomitant administration of psychoactive substances with regards to the central nervous system, while being possibly useful in the treatment of polydrug intoxication.
Comparable studies
Other preclinical and animal studies on MDMA for depression, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Methylone is a rapid-acting neuroplastogen with less off-target activity than MDMA Rats | 2024 | Preclinical study | |
| R-MDDMA is a Safer Analogue of MDMA with Therapeutic Potential. Rats (implied) | 2026 | Preclinical study | |
| MDMA and memory, addiction, and depression: dose-effect analysis Mice | 2022 | Dose-ranging experimental animal study | |
| Increased effects of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (ecstasy) in a rat model of depression. Rats in a model of depression | 2011 | Preclinical study |
Citations in the library
Cited by 4
- Acute MDMA and Nicotine Co-administration: Behavioral Effects and Oxidative Stress Processes in Mice Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience August 2, 2018
- MDMA and the Brain: A Short Review on the Role of Neurotransmitters in Neurotoxicity. Basic and clinical neuroscience 2020
- Cognitive Effects of MDMA in Laboratory Animals: A Systematic Review Focusing on Dose. Pharmacological Reviews July 1, 2019
- Differential effects of MDMA and cocaine on inhibitory avoidance and object recognition tests in rodents. Neurobiology of Learning and Memory December 2017
Cites 11
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and 6 more in the library