Possible Interaction: Heroin and Oxytocin

“In rats, intravenous self-administration of heroin was potently decreased by OXT treatment.”

“ OXT inhibited the development of tolerance to morphine, heroin , beta-endorphin, and enkephalin, OXT also inhibited the development of cross-tolerance between the predominantly mu-agonist heroin and the predominantly delta-agonist enkephalin in mice.”

“In the tolerant rats, on the other hand, oxytocin decreased the acquisition of heroin self-administration.”

“Single dose of OT decreased the level of cortisol and improved the cortisol/DHEAS ratio in the heroin users during abstinence (p < 0.01).”

“The preclinical research corroborates the clinical findings that systemic administration of oxytocin decreases relapse to cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin , and alcohol seeking (reviewed in [2]).”

“Thus far, reports from these trials demonstrate that oxytocin has some efficacy at reducing craving in alcohol, heroin and cocaine users.”

“It is concluded, therefore, that oxytocin interferes with mechanisms involved in the development and expression of tolerance to heroin.”

“ OXT weakened the processes of heroin self-administration, while ANT in contrast improved the learning.”

“In heroin-tolerant rats, the microinjection of OXT (2 ng) into the anterodorsal part of the nucleus accumbens or into the ventral hippocampus disrupted the self-administration of heroin.”

“It is concluded that limbic-mesolimbic brain structures have an essential role in the expression of the disruptive action of OXT on heroin self-administration.”

“The systemic injection of oxytocin (OXT) decreases the self-administration of heroin in heroin-tolerant rats.”

“Subcutaneous injection of oxytocin (OXT-(1-9)) and of its behaviorally active fragments desglycinamide9-oxytocin (OXT-(1-8)) and [pGlu4,Cyt6]-oxytocin-(4-8) (OXT-(4-8)) decreased the amount of heroin self-injected.”

“More importantly, clinical studies have also shown that OXT can exert beneficial effects on reducing substance use disorders of a series of drugs, such as heroin , cocaine, alcohol, cannabis and nicotine.”