TY - JOUR
T1 - Intravenous self-injection of methcathinone in the baboon
AU - Kaminski, Barbara J.
AU - Griffiths, Roland R.
N1 - Funding Information:
Thanks to S. Womack, M. Turner, and J. Thomas for their technical assistance in conducting this study and Dr. James Tolliver for helpful discussions. Methcathinone was supplied by the Drug Enforcement Administration. This research and manuscript preparation was supported by National Institute on Drug Abuse Contract No. 271-86-8113 and Grant DA 01147.
PY - 1994/4
Y1 - 1994/4
N2 - Methcathinone is a phenylisopropylamine that has been produced by clandestine laboratories and identified in illicit drug traffic. The present study evaluated the intravenous self-administration of methcathinone in three baboons using a cocaine substitution procedure. Intravenous self-injections were available 24 h/day according to a fixed-ratio (FR) schedule with a 3-h timeout following each injection. Doses of racemic methcathinone HCl (0.01-1.0 mg/kg/injection) and its vehicle were substituted for cocaine for 15 or more days. A concurrent FR schedule of food pellet delivery allowed evaluation of any changes in food intake. Self-injection of methcathinone was dose dependent. The lower doses of methcathinone, 0.01 and 0.032, maintained low and intermediate rates of self-injection, respectively, while the higher doses, 0.1, 0.32, and 1.0, maintained rates above vehicle control and comparable to those maintained by cocaine. Acute administration of 3.2 mg/kg to two baboons produced signs of psychomotor stimulant toxicity. Systematic changes in food intake were not observed. The present data indicate that methcathinone functions as a positive reinforcer in baboons and suggests that methcathinone may have abuse potential.
AB - Methcathinone is a phenylisopropylamine that has been produced by clandestine laboratories and identified in illicit drug traffic. The present study evaluated the intravenous self-administration of methcathinone in three baboons using a cocaine substitution procedure. Intravenous self-injections were available 24 h/day according to a fixed-ratio (FR) schedule with a 3-h timeout following each injection. Doses of racemic methcathinone HCl (0.01-1.0 mg/kg/injection) and its vehicle were substituted for cocaine for 15 or more days. A concurrent FR schedule of food pellet delivery allowed evaluation of any changes in food intake. Self-injection of methcathinone was dose dependent. The lower doses of methcathinone, 0.01 and 0.032, maintained low and intermediate rates of self-injection, respectively, while the higher doses, 0.1, 0.32, and 1.0, maintained rates above vehicle control and comparable to those maintained by cocaine. Acute administration of 3.2 mg/kg to two baboons produced signs of psychomotor stimulant toxicity. Systematic changes in food intake were not observed. The present data indicate that methcathinone functions as a positive reinforcer in baboons and suggests that methcathinone may have abuse potential.
KW - Baboons
KW - Cocaine
KW - Drug self-administration
KW - Methcathinone
KW - Psychomotor stimulants
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U2 - 10.1016/0091-3057(94)90307-7
DO - 10.1016/0091-3057(94)90307-7
M3 - Article
C2 - 8029273
AN - SCOPUS:0028355651
SN - 0091-3057
VL - 47
SP - 981
EP - 983
JO - Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior
JF - Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior
IS - 4
ER -