Elsevier

Neuroscience Letters

Volume 441, Issue 1, 15 August 2008, Pages 72-76
Neuroscience Letters

The effects of sodium butyrate, an inhibitor of histone deacetylase, on the cocaine- and sucrose-maintained self-administration in rats

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neulet.2008.05.010Get rights and content

Abstract

In order to substantiate the concept that cocaine behavioral effects may be influenced by histone modification, rats were trained to self-administer cocaine intravenously (0.75 mg/(kg injection)), and were systemically pretreated with sodium butyrate (NaBu), a potent histone deacetylase inhibitor, before the test session during the maintenance phase. The effect of NaBu on a control reinforcer (sucrose)-induced self-administration was also assessed. NaBu (100–200 mg/kg) was inactive in altering the cocaine (0.75 mg/(kg injection))-maintained responding and at the highest dose (400 mg/kg) it did increase cocaine-induced lever presses during the maintenance phase. On the other hand, sucrose-reinforcing potential was not altered when NaBu was given at the highest dose (400 mg/kg). These findings extend previous observations that changes in histone acetylation are relevant to cocaine-induced behavioral effects. Given that histone acetylase inhibitor enhances cocaine-induced behavioral plasticity, the therapeutic benefits of histone acetyltransferase inhibitors warrant further investigation in the experimental models of cocaine abuse.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (30400129 and 30701019), the Ministry of Science and Technology (2003CB515405 and 2005CB522406), the Ministry of Education (PCSIRT), and the Shanghai Municipal Commission for Science and Technology (06JC14008) and Education (B119).

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    These authors contributed equally to this work.

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