Abstract
Cocaine is known to modulate the opioid system in several brain regions, including the cortex. Glial cells that are derived from the neonatal cortex have been shown to express opioid peptides and opioid receptors. In this study we investigated the effects of cocaine on c-fos and mu-opioid receptor mRNA levels in primary cortical astrocyte cultures, using RT-PCR and quantitative solution hybridization assays. Astrocyte cultures from 1-day-old Fischer rats were untreated or treated with cocaine for 30min, 2h, or 5h. While c-fos mRNA levels did not change at any time, mu-opioid receptor mRNA levels decreased by 75% after 2 and 5h of cocaine treatments. Our data suggest that cocaine differentially modulates c-fos and opioid signaling in astrocyte cell culture.
Publication types
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Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
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Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.
MeSH terms
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Animals
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Animals, Newborn
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Astrocytes / cytology
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Astrocytes / drug effects*
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Astrocytes / metabolism
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Cell Differentiation / drug effects
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Cell Differentiation / physiology
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Cells, Cultured
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Cerebral Cortex / drug effects*
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Cerebral Cortex / growth & development
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Cerebral Cortex / metabolism
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Cocaine / pharmacology*
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Cocaine-Related Disorders / genetics*
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Cocaine-Related Disorders / metabolism
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Cocaine-Related Disorders / physiopathology
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Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein / metabolism
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Immunohistochemistry
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Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos / genetics*
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RNA / drug effects*
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RNA / metabolism
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Rats
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Rats, Inbred F344
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Receptors, Opioid, mu / genetics*
Substances
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Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein
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Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos
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Receptors, Opioid, mu
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RNA
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Cocaine