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CB1 receptors mediate rimonabant-induced pruritic responses in mice: investigation of locus of action

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Abstract

Rationale

Cannabinoids have recently been identified as potential neuronal modulators of pruritic response, representing a potential target in the treatment of itch associated with a variety of pathophysiologic conditions. While the selective CB1 receptor antagonist rimonabant is an established pruritic agent in both animal and clinical testing, its receptor mechanism of action and anatomical loci remain unclear.

Objective

The purpose of this study was to determine whether CB1 receptor blockade is critical to rimonabant-induced scratching and to identify differences in scratching response based on different routes of administration. Furthermore, experiments were designed to elucidate any evidence as to whether rimonabant elicits scratching behavior through common immunologic hypersensitivity mechanisms.

Results

Rimonabant was equally effective at producing scratching via intraperitoneal and local subcutaneous injection. This compound also produced an intense scratching response when administered intrathecally, but had no effects after intracerebroventricular administration. Repeated administration of rimonabant led to a decreased magnitude of scratching. While rimonabant-induced scratching was not attenuated either by pretreatment with the H1 receptor antagonist loratadine or in mast cell-deficient mice, it lacked efficacy in CB1 (−/−) mice.

Conclusions

Rimonabant is a potent and fully effective pruritogen when administered spinally or systemically and requires CB1 receptors to induce scratching, suggesting an important spinal CB1 receptor component of action. The lack of responsiveness to H1 antagonism or mast cell deficiency supports previous findings that cannabinoids modulate itch through neuronal mechanisms, and not by traditional hypersensitivity activation.

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Abbreviations

FAAH:

Fatty acid amide hydrolase

Rimonabant:

N-(piperidin-1-yl)-5-(4-chlorophenyl)-1-(2,4-dichlorophenyl)-4-methyl-1H-pyrazole-3-carboxamide HCl

THC:

Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol

ANOVA:

Analysis of variance

icv:

Intracerebroventricular

C57:

C57BL/6J mouse strain

DRG:

Dorsal root ganglion

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Acknowledgments

The work was supported by P01DA009789 P50DA005274, RO1AI18697, and R01DA015197. Training of author JES was supported by National Institute of Drug Abuse grant F31DA026279 and T32DA007027.

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The authors report no conflicts of interest.

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Correspondence to Aron H. Lichtman.

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Schlosburg, J.E., O’Neal, S.T., Conrad, D.H. et al. CB1 receptors mediate rimonabant-induced pruritic responses in mice: investigation of locus of action. Psychopharmacology 216, 323–331 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-011-2224-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-011-2224-5

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