Abstract:

Abstract:Objective  To investigate the effect of purine nucleotides compensation on the levels of dopamine (DA) and norepinephrine( NE) in brain tissue in rats and its possible mechanisims for heroin addiction. Methods Sixty five male Wistar rats were randomly divided into five groups (n=13):control group(C),heroin group (H),heroin plus AMP and GMP group (HAG),heroin plus AMP group (HA),heroin plus GMP group (HG).The levels of DA and NE in brain tissue were examined by fluorospectrophotometry.The activity of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) in brain tissue was detected by ELISA.The TH expression was determined by real-time PCR. The ultrastructure changes of VTA were observed by transmission electron microscopy.Results The levels of DA,NE,TH and the expression level of TH in brain tissue in H group were significantly decreased compared with C group (P< 0.05).While in HAG group,the DA,NE and TH levels were increased when compared with H group (P< 0.05). In HA group,the TH level was increased when compared with H group (P< 0.05).In HAG,HA and HG groups,the  TH expression levels  were increased when compared with H group (P< 0.05).Under electron microscope,the impairment in HAG,HA,and HG groups was less than that in H group.Neuropil swelled and medullary sheath was detached in H group.Autosome was increased in HAG,HA and HG groups.Conclusion Purine nucleotides compensation can partly alleviate the impairment which caused by heroin and increase the contents of DA and NE in brain tissue in heroin dependent rats.

Key words: purine nucleotides;heroin;dopamine;norepinephrine;tyrosine hydroxylase