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Immunohistochemical analysis of the expression of selected signaling molecules in rat brain: the effect of morphine withdrawal
Přítulová, Eliška ; Novotný, Jiří (advisor) ; Mrózková, Petra (referee)
Morphine is one of the most commonly used analgesics for pain, but its clinical use may be accompanied by the development of tolerance and dependence. Abuse of morphine can then lead to the development of severe withdrawal symptoms. Given the knowledge gathered so far, morphine addiction research often examines the impact on areas of the brain involved in the reward system. The main goal of this work was to investigate the effect of long-term administration of morphine and morphine withdrawal on certain signaling molecules that are related to the molecular action of opioids in selected areas of the rat brain. We focused on the cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB) and its active phosphorylated form (pCREB), as well as on G-protein signaling regulator RGS4. Our results indicated that morphine administration may cause a decrease in CREB expression in the basolateral amygdala in morphine-affected rats. We also found a reduction in CREB phosphorylation in the CA1 region of the hippocampus, possibly due to morphine withdrawal for three months. In this study, we did not observe any statistically significant changes in RGS4 expression in the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus due to morphine administration and subsequent morphine withdrawal. Key words: morphine, dependence, withdrawal, rat brain,...
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