Suppression of psychoactive effects of cocaine by active immunization

COCAINE is a powerfully addictive substance and new strategies are needed to treat its abuse. Generating an active immunization 1,2 to cocaine offers a means of blocking the actions of the drug by preventing it from entering the central nervous system, and should have fewer side effects than treatme...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nature (London) 1995-12, Vol.378 (6558), p.727-730
Main Authors: Carrera, M. Rocío A, Ashley, Jon A, Parsons, Loren H, Wirsching, Peter, Koob, George F, Janda, Kim D
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Amphetamines
Animals
Antibodies - immunology
Antigens
Biological and medical sciences
Brain - metabolism
Central nervous system
Cocaine
Cocaine - antagonists & inhibitors
Cocaine - immunology
Cocaine - pharmacokinetics
Dopamine
Drug abuse
Drug addictions
Drug dosages
Haptens - immunology
Hemocyanins - immunology
Humanities and Social Sciences
Immunization
Immunoconjugates - immunology
Inactivation
letter
Locomotor activity
Male
Medical sciences
Metabolites
Monoclonal antibodies
multidisciplinary
Psychomotor Performance
Rats
Rats, Wistar
Science
Science (multidisciplinary)
Side effects
Substance-Related Disorders - immunology
Substance-Related Disorders - metabolism
Substance-Related Disorders - prevention & control
Toxicology
Vaccination
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Summary:COCAINE is a powerfully addictive substance and new strategies are needed to treat its abuse. Generating an active immunization 1,2 to cocaine offers a means of blocking the actions of the drug by preventing it from entering the central nervous system, and should have fewer side effects than treatments based on manipulation of central neurotransmitter function. The design and preparation of a cocaine immunogen requires special regard for the stability of cocaine both free and as a haptenic determinant. Immunochemistry and a well defined behavioural model were brought together to address the problem of inactivation of the psychostimulant actions of cocaine. We report here that active immunization with a new, stable cocaine conjugate suppressed locomotor activity and stereotyped behaviour in rats induced by cocaine but not by amphetamine. Moreover, following acute injection of cocaine, levels of cocaine in the striatum and cerebellum of the immunized animals were lower than those of control animals. These results suggest that immunopharmacotherapy may be a promising means by which to explore new treatments for cocaine abuse.
ISSN:0028-0836
1476-4687
DOI:10.1038/378727a0