Progesterone receptors activation after acute cocaine administration.

Hui-Bing K Wu, Sosimo Fabian, Shirzad Jenab, Vanya Quiñones-Jenab

Department of Psychology, Hunter College, City University of New York, New York, NY 10021, USA.

Brain research 2006 Dec 18

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Cocaine modulates serum levels of progesterone in intact female and male rats, as well as in pregnant dams, and progesterone decreases or attenuates cocaine-induced behavioral and reward responses. It has been postulated that cocaine's modulation of serum progesterone levels may in turn alter progesterone receptor activity, thereby contributing to cocaine-induced alterations of neuronal functions and genomic regulations. To test this hypothesis, intact male rats received acute injections of saline or cocaine (15 or 30 mg/kg, dissolved in 0.9% saline, intraperitoneal). Progesterone serum levels, progesterone receptor (PR) protein levels, and PR-DNA binding complexes were measured in the striatum by radioimmunoassay, Western blot, and gel shift analyses, respectively. After injection of 15 mg/kg of cocaine, induction of progesterone serum levels was closely followed by an increase in receptor protein levels and DNA binding complexes. After injection of 30 mg/kg of cocaine, similar effects were observed along with an attenuation of receptor protein levels and DNA binding complexes at 60 min. Our results suggest that activation of progesterone receptors may be a mechanism by which cocaine mediates behavior through molecular alterations in the central nervous system.

Citation

Hui-Bing K Wu, Sosimo Fabian, Shirzad Jenab, Vanya Quiñones-Jenab. Progesterone receptors activation after acute cocaine administration. Brain research. 2006 Dec 18;1126(1):188-92