Estrogenic modulation of delta(9)-Tetrahydrocannabinol effects on nigrostriatal dopaminergic activity in the female rat brain.

In this work we studied the possible estrogenic modulation of the effects of delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) on nigrostriatal dopaminergic activity. Thus, we examined the effects of an acute dose of this cannabinoid: (i) during the three phases of the estrous cycle; (ii) after ovariectomy, chronic estrogen replacement, and/or tamoxifen (TMX)-induced blockade of cytosolic estrogenic receptors; and (iii) combined with a single and physiological injection of estradiol to ovariectomized rats, whose effects were measured early, with no time for genomic induction. THC increased the activity of tyrosine hydroxylase in the striatum of ovariectomized rats implanted with estradiol-filled Silastic capsules or ovariectomized rats. This effect: (i) depended on the presence of an intact estrogenic receptor mechanism, because it was prevented by pretreatment with TMX, and (ii) did not appear when THC was coadministered with estradiol, suggesting an inhibitory modulation of cannabinoid effect by the nongenomic mechanism of action of this steroid. The striatal content of l-3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid and its ratio with dopamine content, which can be used as an index of neuronal activity, also increased following acute THC administration. However, this effect was seen only in ovariectomized rats without estrogen replacement. The administration of THC in combination with a single estradiol injection or to estradiol-implanted ovariectomized rats was ineffective for both parameters. All these effects appeared after ovariectomy with/without estrogen replacement. However, we did not observe any statistically significant effects when THC was administered to normal cycling rats during each phase of the estrous cycle. This observation might be related to the fact that the affinity of striatal cannabinoid receptors, which are the main candidates to mediate cannabinoid effects on this area, significantly increased after ovariectomy compared with that measured in normal cycling rats. In summary, our results support the existence of a certain estogenic modulation of the actions of THC on nigrostriatal dopaminergic activity. Thus, certain effects of THC on dopaminergic parameters in ovariectomized rats were abolished by either TMX-induced blockade of estrogenic cytosolic receptors or, acutely, by the coadministration of estradiol. This modulation did not appear in normal cycling rats but was evident after ovariectomy and/or estrogen replacement, presumably due to changes in the binding characteristics of cannabinoid receptors.