-Short Communication-

Genetic Background Influences Nicotine-induced Conditioned Place Preference and Place Aversion in Mice

Yuya Ise^1,2, Tomohisa Mori², Shirou Katayama¹, Tsutomu Suzuki² and Tzu-Chueh Wang³

¹Section of Pharmaceutical Services, Nippon Medical School Hospital
²Department of Toxicology, Hoshi University, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Science
³Department of Pharmacy, Chia Nan University of Pharmacy and Science, Taiwan

This study was designed to determine whether genetic differences influence the rewarding effects of nicotine in 4 inbred strains of mice (DBA/2, BALB/c, C3H, and C57BL/6). Nicotine (subcutaneous) induced a place preference in DBA/2 and BALB/c mice but a place aversion in C57BL/6 mice. A low dose of nicotine produced a significant place preference, whereas a high dose of nicotine produced place aversion in C3H mice. These effects were completely reversed by the nicotinic receptor antagonist mecamylamine. These results strongly suggest that a conditioned state, such as rewarding effects or aversive effects, can be influenced by genetic background.

J Nippon Med Sch 2014; 81: 53-56

Keywords
conditioned place preference paradigm, nicotine, mecamylamine, genetic difference, mice

Correspondence to
Tsutomu Suzuki, PhD, Department of Toxicology, Hoshi University, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Science, 2-4-41 Ebara, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo 142-8501, Japan
Suzuki@hoshi.ac.jp

Received, November 13, 2012
Accepted, December 11, 2012