Event Abstract

EFFECTS OF ACUTE MITRAGYNINE EXPOSURE ON THE ESTABLISHMENT OF CONDITIONED PLACE PREFERENCE AND LOCOMOTOR ACTIVITY

  • 1 Universiti Sains Malaysia, Centre for Drug Research, Malaysia
  • 2 Universitatsklinikum Erlangen, Psychiatrische und Psychotherapeutische Klinik, Germany

Mitragyna speciosa (M. speciosa) Korth (Rubiaceae), apart from its medicinal values, is believed to have some addictive properties, wherein the leaves of this plant have been claimed to produce narcotic-like actions. In the present study, it is hypothesized that mitragynine, the major compound of M. speciosa leaves, might attribute to the addiction potential of M. speciosa. Here, an unbiased counterbalanced conditioned place preference (CPP) procedure was employed to investigate the rewarding effects of different doses of mitragynine in rats. Rats were pre-exposed to the CPP apparatus for initial preference test prior to conditioning sessions. During 8 consecutive days conditioning phase, rats were intraperitoneally injected with mitragynine; 1, 5, 10 or 30 mg/kg (or vehicle; 20% Tween 80, 1 ml/kg), and confined to one compartment for 1 hour and on alternate days were injected with Tween 80 (or mitragynine) and confined to the other compartment. A 20-minutes test was performed in a drug-free state, to examine the expression of CPP by mitragynine. The time spent and the distance travelled in each compartment was recorded during test sessions. As a result, a significant preference was observed for compartment paired with 10 mg/kg of mitragynine, but not with lower or higher doses. Mitragynine, at all doses tested, did not alter the locomotor activity throughout the experimental period. This study indicates that mitragynine exhibits CPP without locomotor stimulant or conditioned locomotor effects and this rewarding properties of mitragynine might be the key factor responsible for the development of addiction following M. speciosa consumption.

Acknowledgements

This research was supported by grants from the Higher Institution Centre of Excellence (HICoE), Ministry of Higher Education, Malaysia.

Keywords: mitragynine, conditioned place preference, rewarding effect, conditioned locomotion, ketum

Conference: ACNS-2012 Australasian Cognitive Neuroscience Conference, Brisbane, Australia, 29 Nov - 2 Dec, 2012.

Presentation Type: Poster Presentation

Topic: Other

Citation: Mohammad Yusoff N, Hassan Z, Navaratnam V and Müller CP (2012). EFFECTS OF ACUTE MITRAGYNINE EXPOSURE ON THE ESTABLISHMENT OF CONDITIONED PLACE PREFERENCE AND LOCOMOTOR ACTIVITY. Conference Abstract: ACNS-2012 Australasian Cognitive Neuroscience Conference. doi: 10.3389/conf.fnhum.2012.208.00118

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Received: 28 Sep 2012; Published Online: 17 Nov 2012.

* Correspondence: Mrs. Nurul Hasnida Mohammad Yusoff, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Centre for Drug Research, Minden, Penang, 11800, Malaysia, hess_myz@yahoo.com