Methamphetamine-induced expression of interleukin-1β mRNA in the rat hypothalamus

doi:10.1016/0304-3940(91)90766-M

Neuroscience Letters

Volume 128, Issue 1, 8 July 1991, Pages 90-92

https://doi.org/10.1016/0304-3940(91)90766-M Get rights and content

Abstract

The effect of methampethamine on the expression of interleukin-1β (IL-1β) mRNA in the rat brain was investigated with Northern blot analysis. Methamphetamine (2–15 mg/kg, i.p.) caused a marked induction of IL-1β mRNA in the hypothalamus among the 8 brain regions examined, in a dose-dependent manner. The level of IL-1β mRNA reached a maximum at 1 h and rapidly declined within 2 h after the injection of 15 mg/kg. These results provide the first evidence that methamphetamine induces the expression of IL-1β mRNA in the hypothalamus, which may be partly involved in the production of central actions of this drug.

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Citation Excerpt :
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The plenary session at the 2016 Behavior, Biology and Chemistry: Translational Research in Addiction Conference focused on glia as potential players in the development, persistence and treatment of substance use disorders. Glia partake in various functions that are important for healthy brain activity. Drugs of abuse alter glial cell activity producing several perturbations in brain function that are thought to contribute to behavioral changes associated with substance use disorders. Consequently, drug-induced changes in glia-driven processes in the brain represent potential targets for pharmacotherapeutics treating substance use disorders.
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Preclinical findings show that drugs of abuse induce neuroinflammatory signals and disrupt glutamate homeostasis through their interaction with microglia and astrocytes. Preclinical and clinical studies testing the effects of glial modulators show general effectiveness in reducing behaviors associated with substance use disorders.
The contribution of drug-induced glial activity continues to emerge as an intriguing target for substance use disorder treatments. Clinical investigations of glial modulators have yielded promising results on substance use measures and indicate that they are generally safe and well-tolerated. However, results have not been entirely positive and more questions remain for continued exploration in the development and testing of glial-directed treatments for substance use disorders.
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Psychostimulants abuse is a major public concern because is associated with serious health complications, including devastating consequences on the central nervous system (CNS). The neurotoxic effects of these drugs have been extensively studied. Nevertheless, numerous questions and uncertainties remain in our understanding of these toxic events. Thus, the purpose of the present manuscript is to review cellular and molecular mechanisms that might be responsible for brain dysfunction induced by psychostimulants. Topics reviewed include some classical aspects of neurotoxicity, such as monoaminergic system and mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative stress, excitotoxicity and hyperthermia. Moreover, recent literature has suggested new phenomena regarding the toxic effects of psychostimulants. Thus, we also reviewed the impact of these drugs on neuroinflammatory response, blood–brain barrier (BBB) function and neurogenesis. Assessing the relative importance of these mechanisms on psychostimulants-induced brain dysfunction presents an exciting challenge for future research efforts.
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Methamphetamine-induced expression of interleukin-1β mRNA in the rat hypothalamus

Abstract

Eur. J. Pharmacol.

Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun.

Brain Res.

Brain Res.

Methods Enzymol.

Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun.

Brain Res.

Cell

Corticotropin-releasing factor-promoting neurons in the rat activated by interleukin-1

Science