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Attenuation of ecstasy-induced neurotoxicity by N-acetylcysteine

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Abstract

Exposure to 3, 4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) can lead to spatial memory impairments and hippocampal cell death. Numerous evidence indicates that the antioxidant N-acetylcysteine (NAC) exerts protective effects in the brain. The present study evaluates the effects of NAC on MDMA–induced neurotoxicity. Methods: We intraperitoneally injected 28 adult male Sprague–Dawley rats (200–250 g) with either 0, 10 mg/kg of MDMA, or 10 mg/kg of MDMA plus 100 mg/kg of NAC. Spatial memory was assessed with a Morris Water Maze (MWM). At the end of the study, rats' brains were removed to study the structure and ultrastructure of CA1, and measure Bcl-2 and Bax expressions in the hippocampus. In the MWM, NAC treatment significantly attenuated the MDMA-induced increase in distance traveled (p < 0.05) and escape latency (p < 0.001). The decreased time spent in the target quadrant in MDMA-treated animals was attenuated by NAC (p < 0.01). NAC significantly protected against MDMA-induced apoptosis and the up- and down-regulation of Bax and Bcl-2, respectively. These data have suggested that NAC could protect against behavioral changes and apoptosis in the hippocampus following administration of MDMA. NAC might be useful for the treatment of neurotoxicity in MDMA users.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by a grant from Iran University of Medical Sciences No. P/664.

Conflict of interest statement

None of the authors of this paper have any financial interest to report.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Research Center for Behavioral Disorders and Substance Abuse, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran

    Sara Soleimani Asl

  2. Anatomy Department, School of Medicine, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran

    Sara Soleimani Asl

  3. Anatomy Department, Mashhad Medical Branch, Islamic Azad University, Mashhad, Iran

    Bita Saifi

  4. Anatomy Department, Faculty of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Abolhasan Sakhaie

  5. Neurophysiology Research Center, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran

    Somayeh Zargooshnia

  6. Cellular and Molecular Research Center, Faculty of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Department of Anatomy, Iran University, Tehran, Iran

    Mehdi Mehdizadeh

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  1. Sara Soleimani Asl
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Correspondence to Mehdi Mehdizadeh.

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Soleimani Asl, S., Saifi, B., Sakhaie, A. et al. Attenuation of ecstasy-induced neurotoxicity by N-acetylcysteine. Metab Brain Dis 30, 171–181 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11011-014-9598-0

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