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| Author(s): |
Viviane Ferraz de Paula
Total Authors: 1
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| Document type: | Master's Dissertation |
| Press: | São Paulo. |
| Institution: | Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Instituto de Psicologia (IP/SBD) |
| Defense date: | 2007-08-07 |
| Examining board members: |
João Palermo Neto;
Maria Martha Bernardi;
Frederico Azevedo da Costa Pinto
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| Advisor: | João Palermo Neto |
| Abstract | |
Ecstasy is the popular name of N-metil-3,4 methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), a drug of abuse widely used by young adults. Different case reports have been demonstrating the existence of a positive correlation between Ecstasy abuse and the presence of infectious disease. Many studies conducted in animal models showed that MDMA reduces innate and adaptative immunity. However, little is known about the mechanisms behind these reported effects. In this work we searched for effects of i.p. MDMA administration on behavioral, neuroendocrines, and neutrophil activity in mice, especially parameters looking for neuroimmune relationships. We showed that MDMA treatment (5,0; 8,0; 10,0; and 20,0 mg/kg) produces after 30 minutes (1) increased locomotor activity in the open field and plus maze apparatuses, (2) decreased neutrophil oxidative burst after Staphylococcus aureus (SAPI) after in vitro induction 8,0, 10,0, and 20,0 mg/kg doses. Additionally, 60 minutes after MDMA (10,0 mg/kg) we observed (3) increased locomotor activity in the open field and plus maze apparatuses, (4) increased noradrenaline and dopamine turnover in the hypothalamus, (5) increased dopamine turnover in the striatum, (6) increased level of serum corticosterone, (7) decreased neutrophil oxidative burst after SAPI and PMA inductions, and also decreased percentage and intensity of neutrophil phagocitosis, (8) increased erythrocyte number, hemoglobin level, and hematocrit, and decreased peripheral blood Iymphocyte number, (9) decreased bane marrow total cell number, (10) increased leucocyte number on spleen and (11) splenic weight reduction. It was also observed that (12) in vitro exposure to MDMA induced no effects on both neutrophil oxidative burst and phagocytosis. These results suggest that MDMA produces at the same time behavioral, neurochemical, endocrine, and immunological alterations in mice. The increased locomotor activity observed seems to be related to an action on central catecholaminergic activity, mainly, at the level of the dopaminergic striatal system. It is also possible to suggest that the observed innate immunity alterations are related to an increased HPA axis activity induced by MDMA, via corticosterone. However, we cannot discharge a possible SNS activation induced by MDMA, a fact that could have contributed to the present reported effects. Finally, and importantly we observed that in vitro MDMA has no effects on neutrophil activity. (AU) | |