Effect of prenatal exposure to cannabinoid agonist on ethanol preference in adolescent mice

JIMENA LAURA FRONTERA, FERNANDO MESSORE, JERONIMO MATASSA PATRONE, DELIA SORIANO, FLORENCIA CONDE, LAURA CALTANA, DANTE AGUSTIN PAZ, HERMINIA ALICIA BRUSCO

Mar del Plata

Congreso; XXX CONGRESO ANUAL DE LA SOCIEDAD ARGENTINA DE INVESTIGACION EN NEUROCIENCIAS; 2015

Sociedad Argentina de Investigación en Neurociencias

The endocannabinoid system is involved in the neurobiological mechanisms of drug addiction. Due to evidence that exposure to cannabinoid agonists during prenatal development affects several neurotransmission systems, and that the adolescent brain is vulnerable to ethanol exposure, we aimed to analyze ethanol preference (EP) in mice prenatally exposed to cannabinoid agonist WIN55212,2 (WIN). For this purpose, we used CB1+/+(wild type, WT) and CB1-/- (KO) mice. Pregnant mice received a daily subcutaneousinjection of WIN (0.75 mg/Kg) or vehicle (0.3% Tween 80/saline) from gestational day 5 to the end of pregnancy. When pups reached adolescence, standardized tests were performed with different experimental behavior parameters: an anxiety test (elevated plus maze) and an aerial exploration and locomotor activity test (open field). For EP studies, pups were housed (two per cage) and given the choice to drink either EtOH 6% v/v or water during seven weeks. The volume of EtOH and water consumed and body weight were measured twice a week. WIN prenatal exposure did not produce changes in anxiety tests, although KO mice presented lower anxiety levels than WT. In turn, WT mice prenatally exposed to WIN showed higher EP than WT not exposed to WIN, as from the second week and no differences were found in KO groups. Results suggest that prenatal stimulation of the CB1 receptor could be involved in adolescent EP.