Cardiovascular effects of 3,4-methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV) in male and female Sprague-Dawley rats

BACKGROUND: 3,4-methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV) toxicity includes intense neurological and cardiovascular events. We examined MDPV-induced cardiovascular, temperature, and locomotor effects following escalating and repeated MDPV administration in adult male and female Sprague-Dawley rats and compared these effects to cocaine in male rats. METHODS: Telemetry devices were surgically implanted to allow continuous measurement of cardiovascular, temperature, and locomotor activity over a 22 h period after dosing. Rats were administered increasing intraperitoneal (IP) MDPV doses (1–5.6 mg/kg) every other day, followed two days later by a binge regimen of four injections of 3 mg/kg MDPV at 2 h intervals. MDPV serum concentrations were measured by LC-MS/MS. Cocaine (3–30 mg/kg) and four injections of 30 mg/kg IP were administered to male rats for comparison with male MDPV data. RESULTS: The duration of MDPV cardiovascular effects was significantly greater (p