Central and peripheral effects resulting from exposure to cocaine and testosterone in adolescent and adult rats

• Grant number: 10/04737-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: August 01, 2010
• End date: July 31, 2012
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Pharmacology - Neuropsychopharmacology
• Principal Investigator: Cleopatra da Silva Planeta
• Grantee: Sheila Antonagi Engi
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas (FCFAR). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Araraquara. Araraquara , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Drug abuse is considered a major public health problem in the world. The use of cocaine and anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS) has also increased in Brazil. Epidemiological studies indicate that adolescents are more vunerable to and that teenagers have a higher incidence of cocaine and testosterone abuse. Studies have shown that the use of cocaine or ASS promotes toxicity to the heart, liver, and kidney. Although the relevance of the topic, a comprehensive review of the literature revealed the presence of few studies investigating the toxic consequences of the simultaneous use of these substances among adolescents. There is evidence that testosterone can modify the acute effects of cocaine and increase dopaminergic transmission. Thus, this project aims to investigate: 1) whether the prior administration of AAS can cause cross-sensitization with cocaine and thereby increase the vulnerability to abuse and dependence to this psychostimulant, 2) the activity of CREB in the nucleus accumbens in response the acute administration of cocaine in adolescent and adult rats pretreated repeatedly with AAS and 3) the toxic effects resulting from chronic use of these substances combined. (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

ENGI, SHEILA A.; CRUZ, FABIO C.; CRESTANI, CARLOS C.; PLANETA, CLEOPATRA S.. Cross-sensitization between testosterone and cocaine in adolescent and adult rats. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF DEVELOPMENTAL NEUROSCIENCE, v. 46, p. 33-37, NOV 2015. (10/04737-0)

C.Q. CONCEIÇÃO; S.A. ENGI; F.C. CRUZ; C.S. PLANETA. Behavioral cross-sensitization between testosterone and fenproporex in adolescent and adult rats. Brazilian Journal of Medical and Biological Research, v. 51, n. 1, 2017-11-17. (10/04737-0)