Sahraei Hedayat, Ghoshooni Hassan, Hossein Salimi Sayed, Mohseni Astani Abutaleb, Shafaghi Bijan, Falahi Mansoor, Kamalnegad Mohammad
Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Baghyatollah, University of Medical Sciences, P.O. Box 19395-6558, Tehran, Iran.
J Ethnopharmacol. 2002 Apr;80(1):43-7. doi: 10.1016/s0378-8741(02)00012-0.
The problem of drug dependence still remains unresolved. In the present study the effects of an essential oil of Pimpinella anisum (Umbeliferae) on the expression and acquisition of conditioned place preference (CPP) induced by morphine in mice were investigated. Subcutaneous (s.c.) injections of morphine (2-5 mg/kg) produced place preference in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of the essential oil of P. anisum (0.125-0.5 ml/kg) induced conditioned place aversion (CPA). The mice which have received the essential oil of the P. anisum (0.125-0.5 ml/kg, i.p.) as well as the oil with morphine (5 mg/kg, s.c.) reduced the morphine effect. Administration of the essential oil of P. anisum (0.125-0.5 ml/kg, i.p.) on the test day did not show any effect on morphine action. It appeared that pre-administration with bicuculline (GABA(A) receptor antagonist) (1.5 mg/kg, i.p., 20 min before essential oil) diminished the effect of the essential oil of the P. anisum on morphine which induced CPP, but this result was not found for the GABA(B) receptor antagonist, CGP35348 (200 and 400 mg/kg, i.p., 10 min before essential oil). In conclusion, it appeared that the essential oil of the P. anisum may reduce the morphine effects via a GABAergic mechanism.
