The effects of combined intravenous cocaine and ethanol self-administration on the behavioral and amino acid profile of young adult rats

PLoS One. 2020 Mar 23;15(3):e0227044. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0227044. eCollection 2020.

Abstract

Under paradigms of combined intravenous cocaine and ethanol self-administration, the effects on behavior have been poorly explored. Numerous studies have found sex differences in amino acids profile and behavioral responses to each drug, yet few have focused on the interactions between cocaine and ethanol. The main objective of this work was to explore the acquisition and maintenance of intravenous self-administration behavior with a combination of cocaine and ethanol in male and female young adult rats. Likewise, the amino acids profile in blood plasma was quantified 48 hours after the last self-administration session. Male and female 52 days old Wistar rats were randomly assigned to one of 3 groups: i) saline control, ii) cocaine (1 mg/kg bodyweight/injection) and iii) cocaine and ethanol (1 mg + 133 mg/kg bodyweight/ injection). After 24 self-administration sessions carried out on a fixed-ratio-1 schedule, with a limit of 15 doses per session, 14 plasma amino acids were quantified by mean Capillary Electrophoresis technique. The curve of cocaine and ethanol combined self-administration was similar to that associated with cocaine administration alone, with females acquiring self-administration criterion before males. The self-administration of cocaine and ethanol altered the plasma concentration and relative ratios of the amino acid L-Tyrosine. In our intravenous self-administration model, females appeared more vulnerable to acquire abusive consumption of the cocaine and ethanol combination, which altered plasma L-Tyrosine levels.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Behavior, Animal / drug effects*
  • Cocaine / administration & dosage
  • Cocaine / adverse effects*
  • Disease Models, Animal
  • Ethanol / administration & dosage
  • Ethanol / adverse effects*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Infusions, Intravenous
  • Male
  • Rats
  • Reinforcement, Psychology
  • Self Administration / adverse effects
  • Self Administration / psychology
  • Sex Factors
  • Substance-Related Disorders / blood
  • Substance-Related Disorders / etiology*
  • Substance-Related Disorders / psychology
  • Tyrosine / blood

Substances

  • Ethanol
  • Tyrosine
  • Cocaine

Grants and funding

This work was supported by: Ministerio de Sanidad, Servicios Sociales e Igualdad (Red de Trastornos Adictivos –Grant # RTA-RD16/017/0022 del Instituto de Salud Carlos III), https://sede.isciii.gob.es/anouncements_detail.jsp?pub=10523, EA, AHM, JO, RC; Plan Nacional sobre Drogas, (Grant # 2016I073), http://www.pnsd.mscbs.gob.es/, EA, ALC, AM; Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (Grant # PSI2016-80541-P), http://www.ciencia.gob.es/portal/site/MICINN, EA, AHM, JO, RC, MU, MM; European Union (Grant #: European Union, JUST-2017-AG-DRUG-806996/JUSTSO), https://www.eumadness.eu/, EA, AHM.