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Published on: November 6, 2018
[Afobazole decreases severity of morphine withdrawal syndrome: experimental evidence]
Abstract:
Effect of afobazole upon morphine dependency has been studied in rats upon the administration of incremental doses of morphine (10-20 mg/kg, i.p.) for 5 days. The state of dependency was evaluated by monitoring sixteen specific behavioral indices of "spontaneous" (24 h after the last morphine injection) or naloxone-induced withdrawal syndrome. The effect of afobazole (a single dose of 5 mg/kg injected before the test or subchronically for 5 days) was estimated through its influence upon the total index of withdrawal syndrome, which was calculated using the set of behavioural signs. It is established that afobazole upon either single or subchronic injections significantly decreased the expression of spontaneous morphine withdrawal syndrome. The effect was also statistically significant but less pronounced in the case of naloxone-induced withdrawal syndrome. The obtained data suggest that afobazole can be considered as potential effective drug for the correction of various clinical symptoms of morphine withdrawal syndrome.
Insights
Afobazole significantly reduced morphine withdrawal symptoms in rats. This study suggests afobazole (AFB) may effectively treat clinical signs of opioid withdrawal.
Area of Science:
- Pharmacology
- Neuroscience
- Behavioral Science
Context:
- Morphine dependency is a significant clinical challenge.
- Opioid withdrawal syndrome (OWS) presents with complex behavioral and physiological symptoms.
- Current treatments for OWS can be limited in efficacy and tolerability.
Purpose:
- To investigate the efficacy of afobazole in mitigating morphine-induced physical dependence and withdrawal symptoms in a rat model.
- To evaluate the impact of both single and subchronic afobazole administration on spontaneous and naloxone-precipitated withdrawal.
Summary:
- Rats were administered escalating doses of morphine for five days to establish dependency.
- Afobazole (5 mg/kg) was administered either as a single dose or subchronically.
- Withdrawal was assessed by monitoring 16 behavioral indices for spontaneous and naloxone-induced syndromes.
- Afobazole significantly reduced spontaneous OWS and, to a lesser extent, naloxone-induced OWS.
Impact:
- Afobazole demonstrates potential as an adjunctive therapy for managing morphine withdrawal symptoms.
- Findings support further research into afobazole's neurobiological mechanisms in addiction.
- This research may lead to novel pharmacological interventions for opioid use disorder treatment.
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