Treatment with buprenorphine increased the expression of norepinephrine genes in the lumbar spinal cords of methamphetamine rats

Background: METH damages neurons by releasing reactive oxygen species. Oxidative stress affects monoamine oxidase (MAO), a key enzyme in catecholamine oxidation. The pathogenesis of addiction may also be affected by MAO activity. Thus, the expression of MAO and norepinephrine (NE) genes was investigated in the lumbar spinal cord of METH rats during buprenorphine (PUB) treatment. Methods: and results Eleven groups of male Wistar rats (n=77) were randomly selected: control, METH (10 mg/kg; 5 days), BUP (6 or 10 mg/kg; for 5 or 14 days), BUP (6 or 10 mg/kg; for 5 or 14 days) + METH, and withdrawal syndrome for 72 hours after the last injection. After receiving treatments, the gene expression levels of MAO and NE using the real-time PCR method were assessed. METH chronically increased NE gene expression compared to the control group. The METH+ BUP (6 mg/kg; for 5 days) or METH+ BUP (10 mg/kg; for 14 days) groups increased the level of NE gene expression in comparison to the control group. The withdrawal group expressed less than the METH group. Conversely, there was no difference in MAO gene expression between groups. Conclusion: Based on the results, BUP increases neuronal health by modifying the expression of the NE gene, enabling it to reduce METH's harmful effects.