Effects of brain-derived neurotrophic factor and adeno-associated viral vector on morphine-induced condition through target concentration changes in the ventral tegmental area and nucleus accumbens

Morphine remains the standard analgesic for severe pain. However, the clinical use of morphine is limited by the innate tendency of opiates to become addictive. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is a growth factor that is protective against many mental disorders. This study aimed to evaluate the protective function of BDNF on morphine addiction based on the behavioural sensitisation (BS) model and assess potential changes in downstream molecular tropomyosin-related kinase receptor B (TrkB) and cyclic adenosine monophosphate response element binding protein (CREB) expression caused by overexpression of BDNF. We divided 64 male C57BL/6 J mice into saline, morphine, morphine plus adeno-associated viral vector (AAV), and morphine plus BDNF groups. After administering the treatments, behavioural tests were conducted during the development and expression phases of BS, followed by a western blot analysis. All data were analysed by one- or two-way analysis of variance. The overexpression of BDNF in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) caused by BDNF-AAV injection decreased the total distance of locomotion in mice who underwent morphine-induced BS and increased the concentrations of BDNF, TrkB, and CREB in the VTA and nucleus accumbens (NAc). BDNF exerts protective effects against morphine-induced BS by altering target gene expression in the VTA and NAc.