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Published on: November 6, 2018
beta-Lactam antibiotic inhibits development of morphine physical dependence in rats
Scott M Rawls1, David A Baron, Jae Kim
1Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Temple University Health Sciences Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 1914, USA. scott.rawls@temple.edu
Abstract:
beta-Lactam antibiotics enhance cellular glutamate uptake. As increased glutamatergic transmission is a primary mediator of opiate dependence, we tested the hypothesis that a beta-lactam antibiotic (ceftriaxone) prevents development of morphine physical dependence in rats. Morphine (20 mg/kg) was injected twice daily for 10 days to induce physical dependence. Naloxone (10 mg/kg) administration 1, 48, and 96 h after the last morphine injection induced a withdrawal syndrome characterized by the appearance of wet-dog shakes, teeth chattering, eye blinking, jumping, and paw tremor. Ceftriaxone (150, 200 mg/kg) injected once daily during chronic morphine exposure inhibited each naloxone-precipitated withdrawal sign. Ceftriaxone efficacy persisted even after the 96 h-naloxone (10 mg/kg) injection. These results suggest that beta-lactam antibiotics inhibit processes leading to development of morphine physical dependence.
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