Glucose and corticosterone changes in developing and adult rats following exposure to (+/-)-3,4-methylendioxymethamphetamine or 5-methoxydiisopropyltryptamine.

Acute exposure to the club drugs MDMA (Ecstasy) and Foxy increases the stress hormone corticosterone in rats at all ages tested—preweaning, juvenile, and adulthood. Blood glucose also rises at all stages except in juveniles. No differences were found between males and females. These hormonal and metabolic changes may contribute to the behavioral and cognitive impairments previously linked to these drugs.

Study at a glance

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.