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Ucha Tortuero, Marcos

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Ucha Tortuero
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  • Publicación
    Cocaine-induced Fos expression in the rat brain: Modulation by prior Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol exposure during adolescence and sex-specific effects
    (Elsevier, 2021-04-24) Orihuel Menéndez, Javier; Gómez Rubio, Laura; Valverde, Claudia; Capellán, Roberto; Roura Martínez, David; Ucha Tortuero, Marcos; Ambrosio Flores, Emilio; Higuera Matas, Alejandro
    It has been suggested that cannabis consumption during adolescence may be an initial step to cocaine use in adulthood. Indeed, previous preclinical data show that adolescent exposure to cannabinoids (both natural and synthetic) potentiates cocaine self-administration in rats. Here we aimed at gaining a deeper understanding of the cellular activation patterns induced by cocaine as revealed by Fos imaging and how these patterns may change due to adolescent exposure to THC. Male and female Wistar rats were administered every other day THC (3 mg/kg i.p.) or vehicle from postnatal day 28–44. At adulthood (PND90) they were given an injection of cocaine (20 mg/kg i.p.) or saline and sacrificed 90 min later. Cocaine-induced Fos activation was measured by immunohistochemistry as an index of cellular activation. We found that cocaine-induced activation in the motor cortex was stronger in THC-exposed rats. Moreover, there was significant sex-dependent interaction between cocaine and adolescent THC exposure in the dorsal hypothalamus, suggesting that cocaine induced a more robust cellular activation in THC-exposed females but not in THC-treated males. Other THC- and cocaine-induced effects were also evident. These results add to the previous literature suggesting that the behavioral, cellular, molecular, and brain-activating actions of cocaine are modulated by early experience with cannabinoids and provide additional knowledge that may explain the enhanced actions of cocaine in rats exposed to cannabinoids during their adolescence.
  • Publicación
    The effects of combined intravenous cocaine and ethanol self-administration on the behavioral and amino acid profile of young adult rats
    (PLOS, 2020-03-23) Marcos, Alberto; Moreno, Mario; Orihuel Menéndez, Javier; Ucha Tortuero, Marcos; Paz Regidor, Ana María de; Higuera Matas, Alejandro; Capellán, Roberto; Crego, Antonio L.; Martínez Larrañaga, María Rosa; Ambrosio Flores, Emilio; Anadón, Arturo; PLOS; http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7639-6943; http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4083-5294
    Under paradigms of combined intravenous cocaine and ethanol self-administration, the effects on behavior have been poorly explored. Numerous studies have found sex differences in amino acids profile and behavioral responses to each drug, yet few have focused on the interactions between cocaine and ethanol. The main objective of this work was to explore the acquisition and maintenance of intravenous self-administration behavior with a combination of cocaine and ethanol in male and female young adult rats. Likewise, the amino acids profile in blood plasma was quantified 48 hours after the last self-administration session. Male and female 52 days old Wistar rats were randomly assigned to one of 3 groups: i) saline control, ii) cocaine (1 mg/kg bodyweight/injection) and iii) cocaine and ethanol (1 mg + 133 mg/kg bodyweight/ injection). After 24 self-administration sessions carried out on a fixed-ratio-1 schedule, with a limit of 15 doses per session, 14 plasma amino acids were quantified by mean Capillary Electrophoresis technique. The curve of cocaine and ethanol combined self-administration was similar to that associated with cocaine administration alone, with females acquiring self-administration criterion before males. The self-administration of cocaine and ethanol altered the plasma concentration and relative ratios of the aminoacid L-Tyrosine. In our intravenous self-administration model, females appeared more vulnerable to acquire abusive consumption of the cocaine and ethanol combination, which altered plasma L-Tyrosine levels.