Cannabinoid withdrawal in mice: Inverse agonist vs neutral antagonist

Abstract

Rationale: Previous reports shows rimonabant's inverse properties may be a limiting factor for treating cannabinoid dependence. To overcome this limitation, neutral antagonists were developed, to address mechanisms by which an inverse agonist and neutral antagonist elicit withdrawal. Objective: The objective of this study is to introduce an animal model to study cannabinoid dependence by incorporating traditional methodologies and profiling novel cannabinoid ligands with distinct pharmacological properties/modes of action by evaluating their pharmacological effects on CB 1 -receptor (CB 1 R) related physiological/behavioral endpoints. Methods: The cannabinergic AM2389 was acutely characterized in the tetrad (locomotor activity, analgesia, inverted screen/catalepsy bar test, and temperature), with some comparisons made to Δ 9 -tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Tolerance was measured in mice repeatedly administered AM2389. Antagonist-precipitated withdrawal was characterized in cannabinoid-adapted mice induced by either centrally acting antagonists, rimonabant and AM4113, or an antagonist with limited brain penetration, AM6545. Results: In the tetrad, AM2389 was more potent and longer acting than THC, suggesting a novel approach for inducing dependence. Repeated administration of AM2389 led to tolerance by attenuating hypothermia that was induced by acute AM2389 administration. Antagonist-precipitated withdrawal signs were induced by rimonabant or AM4113, but not by AM6545. Antagonist-precipitated withdrawal was reversed by reinstating AM2389 or THC. Conclusions: These findings suggest cannabinoid-precipitated withdrawal may not be ascribed to the inverse properties of rimonabant, but rather to rapid competition with the agonist at the CB 1 R. This withdrawal syndrome is likely centrally mediated, since only the centrally acting CB 1 R antagonists elicited withdrawal, i.e., such responses were absent after the purported peripherally selective CB 1 R antagonist AM6545.