Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
5846971 | Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology | 2009 | 11 Pages |
Abstract
The amphetamine derivative (±)-3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA or ecstasy) is a synthetic amphetamine analogue used recreationally to obtain an enhanced affiliative emotional response. MDMA is a potent monoaminergic neurotoxin with the potential to damage brain serotonin and/or dopamine neurons. As the majority of MDMA users are young adults, the risk that users may expose the fetus to MDMA is a concern. However, the majority of studies on MDMA have investigated the effects on adult animals. Here, we investigated whether long-term exposure to MDMA, especially in adolescence, could induce comprehensive transcriptional changes in mouse brain. Transcriptomic analysis of mouse brain regions demonstrated significant gene expression changes in the cerebral cortex. Supervised analysis identified 1028 genes that were chronically dysregulated by long-term exposure to MDMA in adolescent mice. Functional categories most represented by this MDMA characteristic signature are intracellular molecular signaling pathways of neurotoxicity, such as, the MAPK signaling pathway, the Wnt signaling pathway, neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction, long-term potentiation, and the long-term depression signaling pathway. Although these resultant large-scale molecular changes remain to be studied associated with functional brain damage caused by MDMA, our observations delineate the possible neurotoxic effects of MDMA on brain function, and have therapeutic implications concerning neuro-pathological conditions associated with MDMA abuse.
Related Topics
Life Sciences
Environmental Science
Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis
Authors
Jung Woo Eun, Seung Jun Kwack, Ji Heon Noh, Kwang Hwa Jung, Jeong Kyu Kim, Hyun Jin Bae, Hongjian Xie, Jae Chun Ryu, Young Min Ahn, Jin-Hye Min, Won Sang Park, Jung Young Lee, Gyu Seek Rhee, Suk Woo Nam,