1. Chronic prenatal cocaine treatment down-regulates mu-opioid receptor mRNA expression in the brain of fetal Rhesus Macaque.
- Author
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Chai L, Bosch MA, Moore JM, and Rønnekleiv OK
- Subjects
- Animals, Brain drug effects, Brain Chemistry drug effects, Chronic Disease, Cocaine-Related Disorders physiopathology, DNA Probes, Female, Fetus chemistry, Fetus physiology, Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental drug effects, Macaca mulatta, Pregnancy, RNA, Messenger metabolism, Receptors, Opioid, mu analysis, Receptors, Opioid, mu metabolism, Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction, Brain embryology, Cocaine pharmacology, Dopamine Uptake Inhibitors pharmacology, Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects, Receptors, Opioid, mu genetics
- Abstract
Ribonuclease protection assays (RPA) were performed to quantify mu-opioid receptor mRNA expression in specific brain regions of day 70 Rhesus Macaque fetuses that were exposed to cocaine (3 mg/kg) or saline from days 22-70 of gestation. The content of mu-receptor mRNA was high in the diencephalon and moderate in the mesencephalon. In contrast, mu-receptor mRNA was lightly expressed in areas such as the frontal cortex, striatum and the temporal lobe. The content of mu-opioid receptor mRNA was significantly higher in the diencephalon than in other brain regions (P < 0.001; n = 4). Cocaine exposure significantly decreased the expression of mu-receptor mRNA in the fetal diencephalon (P < 0.05; n = 4 in each group). Our data would indicate that prolonged gestational cocaine exposure causes mu-opioid receptor mRNA down-regulation in specific brain regions of the fetus.
- Published
- 1999
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