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The role of adenosine receptor agonist and antagonist on Hippocampal MDMA detrimental effects; a structural and behavioral study.

Fatemeh Kermanian, Mehdi Mehdizadeh, Mansureh Soleimani, Ali Reza Ebrahimzadeh Bideskan, Majid Asadi-Shekaari, Hamed Kheradmand, Hossein Haghir

Metabolic Brain Disease December 2012 DOI: 10.1007/s11011-012-9334-6 (opens in new tab)

Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Controlled experimental animal study Peer reviewed
Sample size 63
Population Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats
Intervention MDMA
Dose MDMA 10 and 20 mg/kg; CGS 0.03 mg/kg; SCH 0.03 mg/kg
Measures Morris water maze (MWM), body temperature, electron microscopy, stereological study
Topics MDMA
Key findings MDMA increased body temperature and impaired spatial learning and increased hippocampal dark neurons, especially in CA1. The A2a adenosine antagonist SCH worsened these effects, while the A2a agonist CGS partially protected against the learning deficits and hippocampal cell death, suggesting a potential protective role for A2a receptor stimulation.

Abstract

There is abundant evidence showing that repeated use of MDMA (3, 4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine, ecstasy) has been associated with depression, anxiety and deficits in learning and memory, suggesting detrimental effects on hippocampus. Adenosine is an endogenous purine nucleoside that has a neuromodulatory role in the central nervous system. In the present study, we investigated the role of A2a adenosine receptors agonist (CGS) and antagonist (SCH) on the body temperature, learning deficits, and hippocampal cell death induced by MDMA administration. In this study, 63 adult, male, Sprague - Dawley rats were subjected to MDMA (10 and 20 mg/kg) followed by intraperitoneal CGS (0.03 mg/kg) or SCH (0.03 mg/kg) injection. The animals were tested for spatial learning in the Morris water maze (MWM) task performance, accompanied by a recording of body temperature, electron microscopy and stereological study. Our results showed that MDMA treatment increased body temperature significantly, and impaired the ability of rats to locate the hidden platform(P < 0.05). The number of hippocampal dark neurons also increased especially in CA1. These impairments were aggravated by co-administration of A2a antagonist (SCH) with MDMA. Furthermore, the administration of the A2a receptor agonist (CGS) provided partial protection against MWM deficits and hippocampal cell death(P < 0.05). This study provides for the first time evidence that, in contrast to A2a antagonist (SCH) effects, co-administration of A2a agonist (CGS) with MDMA can protect against MDMA hippocampal neurotoxic effects; providing a potential value in the prevention of learning deficits observed in MDMA users. However, the exact mechanism of these interactions requires further studies.

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