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Systemic Injections of Cannabidiol Enhance Acetylcholine Levels from Basal Forebrain in Rats

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Abstract

Cannabis sativa is a plant that contains more than 500 components, of which the most studied are Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC) and cannabidiol (CBD). Several studies have indicated that CBD displays neurobiological effects, including wake promotion. Moreover, experimental evidence has shown that injections of CBD enhance wake-related compounds, such as monoamines (dopamine, serotonin, epinephrine, and norepinephrine). However, no clear evidence is available regarding the effects of CBD on additional wake-related neurochemicals such as acetylcholine (ACh). Here, we demonstrate that systemic injections of CBD (0, 5, 10 or 30 mg/kg, i.p.) at the beginning of the lights-on period, increase the extracellular levels of ACh collected from the basal forebrain and measured by microdialysis and HPLC means. Moreover, the time course effects on the contents of ACh were present 5 h post-injection of CBD. Altogether, these data demonstrate that CBD increases ACh levels in a brain region related to wake control. This study is the first to show the effects of ACh levels in CBD-treated rats and suggests that the basal forebrain might be a site of action of CBD for wakefulness modulation.

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Abbreviations

ACh:

Acetylcholine

CBD:

Cannabidiol

HPLC:

High performance liquid chromatography

R 2 :

Linear regression analysis

Δ9-THC:

Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by The University of California Institute for Mexico and the United States (UC MEXUS) and Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONACyT; Grant: CN-17-19) and Escuela de Medicina, Universidad Anáhuac Mayab (Grant: PresInvEMR2017) given to E.M-R.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratorio de Neurociencias Moleculares e Integrativas, Escuela de Medicina, División Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Anáhuac Mayab, Carretera Mérida-Progreso Km. 15.5, A.P. 96 Cordemex, C.P. 97310, Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico

    Eric Murillo-Rodríguez

  2. Intercontinental Neuroscience Research Group, Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico

    Eric Murillo-Rodríguez, Nuno Barbosa Rocha, André Barciela Veras, Sérgio Machado & Henning Budde

  3. Centro de Investigaciones Regionales “Dr. Hideyo Noguchi”, Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán, Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico

    Gloria Arankowsky-Sandoval

  4. Health School, Polytechnic Institute of Porto, Porto, Portugal

    Nuno Barbosa Rocha

  5. Coordinación de Psicología Organizacional, División de Estudios Profesionales, Facultad de Psicología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico

    Rodrigo Peniche-Amante

  6. Universidade Catolica Dom Bosco, Campo Grande, Mato Grosso Do Sul, Brazil

    André Barciela Veras

  7. Laboratory of Panic and Respiration, Institute of Psychiatry, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    Sérgio Machado

  8. Salgado de Oliveira University, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    Sérgio Machado

  9. Physical Activity Neuroscience Laboratory, Physical Activity Sciences Postgraduate Program-Salgado de Oliveira University (UNIVERSO), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    Sérgio Machado

  10. Faculty of Human Sciences, Medical School Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany

    Henning Budde

  11. Physical Activity, Physical Education, Health and Sport Research Centre (PAPESH), Sports Science Department, School of Science and Engineering, Reykjavik University, Reykjavík, Iceland

    Henning Budde

  12. Lithuanian Sports University, Kaunas, Lithuania

    Henning Budde

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  1. Eric Murillo-Rodríguez
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  2. Gloria Arankowsky-Sandoval
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  3. Nuno Barbosa Rocha
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  4. Rodrigo Peniche-Amante
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Correspondence to Eric Murillo-Rodríguez.

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Murillo-Rodríguez, E., Arankowsky-Sandoval, G., Rocha, N.B. et al. Systemic Injections of Cannabidiol Enhance Acetylcholine Levels from Basal Forebrain in Rats. Neurochem Res 43, 1511–1518 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11064-018-2565-0

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