(-)-Stepholidine blocks expression, but not development, of cocaine conditioned place preference in rats

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of (-)-stepholidine (SPD), a compound with dopamine D1 partial agonist and D2/D3 antagonist properties, on the development and expression of cocaine conditioned place preference (CPP). Subjects (N = 65; male Long Evans rats) were tested using a CPP procedure consisting of 3 phases: (1) a 15-min pre-exposure session where animals could explore each compartment freely, (2) eight 30-min conditioning sessions where animals were restricted to one side or the other with cocaine (10 mg/kg) or saline, respectively, on alternating days and (3) a 15-minute preference test session where animals could explore each compartment freely. To test the effects of SPD on expression of cocaine CPP, rats were administered vehicle (distilled water with 20 % DMSO), 10, 15 or 20 mg/kg SPD (intraperitoneally) 30 min prior to the test session. We found that 20 mg/kg of SPD significantly blocked the expression of cocaine CPP. To test the effects of SPD on the development of CPP, 0 (vehicle), 10, 15 or 20mg/kg SPD were administered 30 min prior to each cocaine conditioning session and vehicle before each saline conditioning session; no treatment was given prior to the test session. A preference test showed that each SPD group maintained a CPP similar to the vehicle group. These data indicate that SPD can block the expression of a cocaine CPP but has no effect on its development, suggesting that it inhibits the effects of cocaine cues on cocaine incentive motivated behavior. These results suggest that SPD may be a potential treatment for cue-driven aspects of cocaine use disorder.