Possible Interaction: Cocaine and Rimonabant

“The cannabinoid CB(1) antagonist/inverse agonist rimonabant has been shown to reduce the behavioral effects of stimuli associated with drugs of abuse, including nicotine, alcohol, cocaine , and marijuana.”

“The present paper synthetically reviews the multiple experimental lines of evidence indicating the ability of the prototypic cannabinoid CB(1) receptor antagonist, rimonabant (also known as SR 141716), to suppress the reinforcing/rewarding properties of different drugs of abuse, including cocaine , heroin, nicotine and alcohol, in laboratory rodents.”

“Acute treatment with CP 55,940 decreased cocaine choice, whereas THC and rimonabant enhanced the reinforcing effects of cocaine.”

“ Rimonabant decreased ambulatory and vertical activity induced by cocaine.”

“HIGHLIGHTSExpression of conditioned locomotion to cocaine was blocked by rimonabant treatment.”

“Previous treatment with 10 mg/kg rimonabant blocked the expression of conditioned hyperlocomotion and behavioral sensitization to cocaine , but not acute cocaine‐induced hyperlocomotion.”

“ Rimonabant treatment blocked the expression of behavioral sensitization to cocaine.”

“Treatment with 10 mg/kg rimonabant also attenuated the significant increase in c‐Fos expression in the CPu, mPFC and BLA induced by previous chronic sensitization with cocaine.”

“Moreover, systemic or intra-mPFC administration of rimonabant enhanced extinction of CPP memory induced by a high-dose (20 mg/kg) cocaine.”

“ResultsSystemic or intra-mPFC administration of rimonabant impaired consolidation of CPP induced by a high dose (20 or 40 mg/kg) of cocaine but facilitated that induced by a low dose (2.5, 5, or 10 mg/kg).”

“In mice self-administering cocaine, rimonabant attenuated cue-induced reinstatement of cocaine self-administration, the initial burst of responding during cocaine extinction and responding during spontaneous recovery.”

“On the other hand, withdrawal from repeated access or exposure to cocaine and then a reinstatement of cocaine-seeking behavior or a sensitized locomotor response to a single cocaine challenge, respectively, was potently reduced by pretreatment with rimonabant.”