Effects of repeated high-dose methamphetamine and ceftriaxone post-treatments on tissue content of dopamine and serotonin as well as glutamate and glutamine

• Published in: Neuroscience letters Vol. 634; pp. 25 - 31
• Main Authors: Althobaiti, Yusuf S., Almalki, Atiah H., Das, Sujan C., Alshehri, Fahad S., Sari, Youssef
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Ireland Elsevier Ireland Ltd 10.11.2016
• Subjects: Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents - pharmacology; Ceftriaxone; Ceftriaxone - pharmacology; Central Nervous System Stimulants - toxicity; Dopamine; Dopamine - metabolism; Glutamate; Glutamic Acid - metabolism; Glutamine; Glutamine - metabolism; Male; Methamphetamine; Methamphetamine - toxicity; Nucleus Accumbens - drug effects; Nucleus Accumbens - metabolism; Organ Specificity; Prefrontal Cortex - drug effects; Prefrontal Cortex - metabolism; Rats, Wistar; Serotonin; Serotonin - metabolism; Dopamine; Ceftriaxone; Serotonin; Glutamate; Methamphetamine; Glutamine
• ISSN: 0304-3940; 1872-7972
• DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2016.09.058

•Methamphetamine caused depletion of dopamine and 5-HT in NAc and PFC.•Dopamine tissue content was restored with ceftriaxone post-treatment in NAc.•Methamphetamine decreased glutamate and glutamine tissue content in PFC.•Ceftriaxone attenuated the effect of methamphetamine on glutamate and glutamine. Repeated exposure to high doses of methamphetamine (METH) is known to alter several neurotransmitters in certain brain regions. Little is known about the effects of ceftriaxone (CEF), a β-lactam antibiotic, known to upregulate glutamate transporter subtype 1, post-treatment on METH-induced depletion of dopamine and serotonin (5-HT) tissue content in brain reward regions. Moreover, the effects of METH and CEF post-treatment on glutamate and glutamine tissue content are not well understood. In this study, Wistar rats were used to investigate the effects of METH and CEF post-treatment on tissue content of dopamine/5-HT and glutamate/glutamine in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) and prefrontal cortex (PFC). Rats received either saline or METH (10mg/kg, i.p. every 2h×4) followed by either saline or CEF (200mg/kg, i.p, every day×3) post-treatment. METH induced a significant depletion of dopamine and 5-HT in the NAc and PFC. Importantly, dopamine tissue content was completely restored in the NAc following CEF post-treatment. Additionally, METH caused a significant decrease in glutamate and glutamine tissue content in PFC, and this effect was attenuated by CEF post-treatment. These findings demonstrate for the first time the attenuating effects of CEF post-treatment on METH induced alterations in the tissue contents of dopamine, glutamate, and glutamine.