Statins Reduce the Risks of Relapse to Addiction in Rats.
Neuropsychopharmacol. 2015-10-15; 41(6): 1588-1597
DOI: 10.1038/npp.2015.317
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Chauvet C(1)(2), Nicolas C(1)(2), Lafay-Chebassier C(1)(2)(3)(4), Jaber
M(1)(2)(4), Thiriet N(1)(2), Solinas M(1)(2).
Author information:
(1)Inserm, U-1084, Experimental and Clinical Neurosciences Laboratory,
University of Poitiers, Poitiers, France.
(2)University of Poitiers, 1 Rue George Bonnet, Poitiers, France.
(3)Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Poitiers University Hospital, Poitiers,
France.
(4)Inserm, CIC 1402, Poitiers University Hospital, Poitiers, France.
Statins are drugs that have been used for decades in humans for the treatment of
hypercholesterolemia. More recently, several lines of evidence demonstrate that
statins, in addition to their peripheral effects, produce a wide variety of
effects in the brain and may be beneficial in neurological and psychiatric
conditions. In this study, we allowed rats to self-administer cocaine for
several weeks and, at the end of self-administration training, we treated them
with low doses of statins daily for a 21-day period of abstinence. Chronic
administration of brain-penetrating statins, simvastatin (1 mg/kg) and
atorvastatin (1 mg/kg), reduced cocaine seeking compared with vehicle, whereas
administration of pravastatin (2 mg/kg), a statin with low brain penetrability,
did not. Importantly, the effects of brain-penetrating statins persisted even
after discontinuation of the treatment and were specific for drug seeking
because drug taking was not altered by simvastatin treatment. Finally, the
effects of simvastatin were found to generalize to another drug of abuse such as
nicotine, but not to food reward, and to reinstatement of cocaine seeking
induced by stress. These results demonstrate that brain-penetrating statins can
reduce risks of relapse to addiction. Given their well-known safety profile in
humans, statins could be a novel effective treatment for relapse to cocaine and
nicotine addiction and their use could be implemented in clinical settings
without major health risks.
DOI: 10.1038/npp.2015.317
PMCID: PMC4832020
PMID: 26466819 [Indexed for MEDLINE]