Glucose and corticosterone changes in developing and adult rats following exposure to (+/-)-3,4-methylendioxymethamphetamine or 5-methoxydiisopropyltryptamine.
Devon L Graham, Nicole R Herring, Tori L Schaefer, Charles V Vorhees, Michael T Williams
Neurotoxicology and teratology January 1, 2010 Peer reviewed DOI: 10.1016/j.ntt.2009.08.012 via PubMed
Summary
Acute exposure to the club drugs MDMA and Foxy significantly increased corticosterone levels in rats at all developmental stages: preweaning, juvenile, and adulthood. Glucose levels were elevated at all stages except during the juvenile period. The study indicates that these changes in hormone levels could potentially affect behavioral and cognitive functions.
Study at a glance
| Population | rats |
|---|---|
| Key finding | Both MDMA and Foxy increased corticosterone levels significantly at all ages examined, while glucose was elevated at all stages except at the juvenile time point. |
Abstract
The use of the club drugs 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) and 5-methoxy-n,n-diisopropyltryptamine (Foxy) is of growing concern, especially as many of the effects, particularly during development, are unknown. The effects of these drugs upon homeostasis may be important since both are known to stimulate the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. The purpose of this experiment was to examine alterations in rats in corticosterone and glucose following an acute exposure to these drugs at different stages of development: preweaning, juvenile, and adulthood. Both MDMA and Foxy increased corticosterone levels significantly at all ages examined, while glucose was elevated at all stages except at the juvenile time point (postnatal day 28). For both measures, there were no differences between the sexes with either drug. The data indicate that an acute exposure to these drugs alters CORT and glucose levels, raising the possibility that these changes may have effects on behavioral and cognitive function, as we and others have previously demonstrated.