Diazepam Withdrawal Expression is related to Hippocampal NOS-1 Upregulation

ARTUR DE LA VILLARMOIS, E; CONSTANTIN MF; BREGONZIO C; PÉREZ MF

Archives of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences

Heighten Science Publications

Lugar: Flower Mound; Año: 2018

2576-9537

ackground: Benzodiazepines are usually prescribed for anxiety and sleep disorders in a long-term fashion that may cause drug dependence. Discontinuation after prolonged administration may lead to withdrawal expression, being anxiety the most predominant sign. It has been described that a context-dependent associative learning process underlies diazepam dependence. Nitric oxide is a crucial player in learning and memory processes, hippocampal transmission, as well as in benzodiazepines withdrawal. Considering that previous results from our laboratory showed an increase in hippocampal functional plasticity only in diazepam dependent rats, the aim of the present investigation is to determine whether diazepam dependence could alter neuronal nitric oxide synthase enzyme (NOS-1) expression within the hippocampus, by using western blot.Results: chronic diazepam-treated animals that developed dependence showed increase in NOS-1 expression in dorsal, but not in ventral hippocampus, while no-de