Blockade of Nicotine and Cannabinoid Reinforcement and Relapse by a Cannabinoid CB1-Receptor Neutral Antagonist AM4113 and Inverse Agonist Rimonabant in Squirrel Monkeys.

ABSTRACT: Nicotine, the main psychoactive component of tobacco, and (-)-Δ(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main psychoactive ingredient in cannabis, play major roles in tobacco and marijuana dependence as reinforcers of drug-seeking and drug-taking behavior. Drugs that act as inverse agonists of cannabinoid CB1 receptors in the brain can attenuate the rewarding and abuse-related effects of nicotine and THC, but their clinical use is hindered by potentially serious side effects. The recently developed CB1-receptor neutral antagonists may provide an alternative therapeutic approach to nicotine and cannabinoid dependence. Here we compare attenuation of nicotine and THC reinforcement and reinstatement in squirrel monkeys by the CB1-receptor inverse agonist rimonabant and by the recently developed CB1-

SUBMITTER: Schindler CW 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4946059 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature