Drug Seeking Behavior of Amphetamine Addicted Sprague-Dawley Rats Is Eliminated after Nutritional Supplementation

Abstract

Aim: The effectiveness of nutritional supplementation on drug-seeking behavior of amphetamine-addicted rats during withdrawal was investigated using a biased conditioned place preference (CPP) paradigm. Method: Twenty-four male Sprague-Dawley rats exhibiting baseline preference for the black chamber during a 20-minute pre-conditioning exploration of the CPP box completed the study. On alternate days of an 8-day schedule, twelve rats (Group AMP) were randomly selected, given either amphetamine sulfate (5 mg/ml, i.p.) and confined to the white chamber; or vehicle (1 ml saline, i.p.) and confined to the black chamber. A significant increased percentage time spent and number of entries made by Group AMP to the drug-paired, white chamber on the test day confirmed amphetamine addiction. Group AMP subsequently received increasing doses of amphetamine over 6 days. Following acute drug withdrawal, their CPP performance was compared with that of vehicle treated rats (Group SAL). Groups AMP and SAL were equally divided and randomly assigned to animals fed chow reconstituted with the nutritional supplement (AMP-S and SAL-S) over 8 weeks or standard rat chow (AMP-N and SAL-N). CPP performances for all rats were determined blindly from video recordings following this period. Results: Nutritionally supplemented, amphetamine withdrawn rats (AMP-S) exhibited significantly decreased percentage entries and time spent in the white chamber (p < 0.05), indicating preference for the black chamber and diminished drug-seeking behavior. ANOVA revealed that after 8 weeks of dietary supplementation, AMP-S rats behaved like drug-naïve, control animals. Conclusion: Drug-seeking behavior by amphetamine-addicHow to cite this paper:

&amp;Delta;&lt;sup&gt;9&lt;/sup&gt;-Tetrahydrocannabinol Produced Positive Place Preference in Mice without Significant &lt;i&gt;Ex-Vivo&lt;/i&gt; Effect on Hepatic Arylamine N-Acetyltransferase Activity: Implications for Its Addictive Liability and Absence of Effect on Xenobiotic Metabolism

“…A biased paradigm utilizing a three-chambered wooden box with visual cues was used in this study as previously described [18] [19]. Each chamber of the box (dimensions: 75 × 30 × 25 cm) was painted white, black or grey.…”

Drug-Seeking Behavior Is Significantly Attenuated in Nutritionally Supplemented Cocaine Withdrawn Sprague-Dawley Rats

“…A three chambered CPP apparatus, measuring 75 cm × 30 cm × 25 cm, as described in [17] was employed. The single black, white and grey chambers could each be isolated from the other by a sliding door on either side of the central grey corridor, which represented the starting chamber for exploration.…”

“…The unpleasant physical, emotional and mental symptoms associated with the sudden or acute withdrawal of cocaine result in changes in mood and appetite, often leading to recidivism and return to drug-seeking behavior. Furthermore, disordered and dysfunctional eating patterns pervade attempts at abstinence, potentially worsening the withdrawal experience of the addict [17]. Nutritional supplementation is therefore recommended early in treatment to supplement calories, regularize neurotransmitter regulation and restore of gut health [17] [18].…”

Impact of SMAASH-C, a novel nutritional supplement, on drug-seeking and toxicity in female and male rats

“…Anecdotal reports and open label observational data from patients indicate that oral SMAASH-C (0.1-0.4 g/kg/day; 6-12 months) treatment during abstinence improves markers of general health (e.g., one patient with co-morbid AIDS-related herpes simplex virus infection reporting marked improvement in viral symptoms) and reduces drug-craving, frequency of relapse, and withdrawal symptoms. Results from subsequent preclinical studies were also promising and showed that chronic SMAASH-C treatment (oral, 0.04-0.12 g/kg, 8 weeks) markedly and selectively reduced cocaine- and amphetamine-induced conditioned place preference and markers of drug-induced toxicity in male and female rats [ 17 , 18 ].…”