Addiction to major drugs of abuse such as cocaine has been recently linked to alterations on adult neurogenesis in the hippocampus. The endogenous cannabinoid system modulated this proliferative response since pharmacological activation/blockade of cannabinoid CB1 and CB2 receptors by modulating not only neurogenesis but also cell death in the brain. In the present study, we evaluated whether the endogenous cannabinoid system affects cocaine-induced alterations in cell proliferation . To this end we examined if pharmacological blockade of either CB1 (Rimonabant, 3 mg/kg) or CB2 receptors (AM630, 3 mg/kg) affects cell proliferation (labeled with BrdU), found in the subventricular zone (SVZ) of the lateral ventricles and the dentate subgranular zone (SGZ). In addition, we measured cell apoptosis (monitored by the expression of cleaved caspase-3) and glial activation ( by analizing the expression of GFAP and Iba-1) in the striatum and hippocampus, during acute or repeated (4 days) cocaine administration (20 mg/kg). Results showed that acute cocaine decreased the number of BrdU+ cells in SVZ and SGZ. In contrast, repeated cocaine reduced the number of BrdU+ cells in SVZ only. Both acute and repeated cocaine increased the number of cleaved caspase-3+, GFAP+ and Iba1+ cells in the hippocampus, an effect counteracted by AM630 or Rimonabant that increased the number of BrdU+, GFAP+ and Iba1+ cells in the hippocampus. These results indicate that changes on neurogenic, apoptotic and gliosis processes, which were produced as a consequence of repeated cocaine administration, were normalized by the pharmacological blockade of CB1 and CB2. The restoring effects of cannabinoid receptor blockade on hippocampal cell proliferation were associated with a prevention of the induction of conditioned locomotion, but not of cocaine-induced sensitization.

The endocannabinoids anandamide and 2-arachidonyl glycerol (2-AG) are modulators of glutamate and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), two transmitters involved in cocaine addiction. However, little is known on the effects of cocaine on the enzymes that produce and degrade endocannabinoids. The present work addresses the effects of cocaine self-administration on the immunohistochemical expression of endocannabinoid signalling (ECS)-related proteins in the hippocampus. The study has been performed on two different strains of rats, Lewis (Lew) and Fischer 344 (F344), which are characterized for displaying a differential sensitivity to cocaine, thus making them suitable in the study of vulnerability to drug addiction. Both strains showed differences in the expression of ECS-related proteins in the hippocampus, i.e. Lew rats exhibited lower CB1 expression but higher CB2 expression than F344 rats. After setting similar cocaine self-administration, both strains showed clear differences in the expression of ECS-related proteins, which were differentially restricted to either the 2-AG or anandamide signalling pathways in a self-administration training/drug-dependent manner. The decreases observed in CB1 expression and N-acyl phosphatidylethanolamine phospholipase D:fatty acid amino hydrolase ratio after saline self-administration were enhanced only in cocaine self-administered Lew rats. CB2 expression increase and diacylglycerol lipase α:monoacylglycerol lipase ratio decrease detected after saline self-administration were blocked only in cocaine self-administered F344 rats. These findings indicate that cocaine may regulate hippocampal GABA/glutamate synapses by directly modulating endocannabinoid production/degradation enzymes and that these actions are strain-dependent. This differential response suggests that the endogenous cannabinoid system might contribute to genotype/strain differences on the sensitivity to self-administration training and cocaine addiction.

Human identification from burned remains poses a challenge to forensic laboratories, and DNA profiling is widely used for this purpose. Our aim was to evaluate the effect of temperature on DNA degradation in human teeth. Thirty teeth were exposed to temperatures of 100, 200, or 400 °C for 60 min. DNA was quantified by Real-Time qPCR (Quantifiler Human DNA Quantification Kit) and fluorescence spectroscopy (Qubit 3.0 Fluorometer). DNA degradation was evaluated by using STR markers (AmpFLSTR Identifiler Plus PCR Amplification Kit) to determine the allele and locus dropout, inter-locus balance, and degradation slope (observed (Oa) to expected (Ea) locus peak height ratio against the molecular weight). Most of the genomic DNA was degraded between 100 °C and 200 °C. At 100 °C, locus dropout ratios showed significant differences between the largest loci (FGA, D7S820, D18S51, D16S539, D2S1338 and CSF1PO) and amelogenin. Inter-locus balance values significantly differed between all dye channels except between NED and PET. The dropout ratio between D18S51 (NED) and amelogenin (PET) can be recommended for the evaluation of DNA degradation. The Oa/Ea regression model can predict locus peak heights in DNA degradation (R² = 0.7881). These findings may be useful to assess the reliability of DNA typing for human identification in teeth subjected to prolonged incineration.

Growing awareness of cerebellar involvement in addiction is based on the cerebellum’s intermediary position between motor and reward, potentially acting as an interface between motivational and cognitive functions. Here, we examined the impact of acute and repeated cocaine exposure on the two main signaling systems in the mouse cerebellum: the endocannabinoid (eCB) and glutamate systems. To this end, we investigated whether eCB signaling-related gene and protein expression (CB1 receptors and enzymes that produce (DAGLα/β and NAPE-PLD) and degrade (MAGL and FAAH) eCB) were altered. In addition, we analyzed the gene expression of relevant components of the glutamate signaling system (glutamate synthesizing enzymes LGA and KGA, mGluR3/5 metabotropic receptors, and NR1/2A/2B/2C-NMDA and GluR1/2/3/4-AMPA ionotropic receptor subunits) and the gene expression of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), the rate-limiting enzyme in catecholamine biosynthesis, because noradrenergic terminals innervate the cerebellar cortex. Results indicated that acute cocaine exposure decreased DAGLα expression, suggesting a down-regulation of 2-AG production, as well as gene expression of TH, KGA, mGluR3 and all ionotropic receptor subunits analyzed in the cerebellum. The acquisition of conditioned locomotion and sensitization after repeated cocaine exposure were associated with an increased NAPE-PLD/FAAH ratio, suggesting enhanced anandamide production, and a decreased DAGLβ/MAGL ratio, suggesting decreased 2-AG generation. Repeated cocaine also increased LGA gene expression but had no effect on glutamate receptors. These findings indicate that acute cocaine modulates the expression of the eCB and glutamate systems. Repeated cocaine results in normalization of glutamate receptor expression, although sustained changes in eCB is observed. We suggest that cocaine-induced alterations to cerebellar eCB should be considered when analyzing the adaptations imposed by psychostimulants that lead to addiction.