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Testicular Translocator Protein Expression is Differentially Altered by Synthetic Cannabinoid HU210 in Adult and Adolescent Rats
Ronald Ho Yeung Chan1,2*, Winnie Wai-Ying Kam1,2,3, Guo Jun Liu1,2, Katerina Zavitsanou4,5,6 and Richard B Banati1,2,71ANSTO Life Sciences, Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organization, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
2Discipline of Medical Radiation Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
3Department of Health Technology and Informatics, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, China
4Schizophrenia Research Institute, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
5School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
6Schizophrenia Research Laboratory, Neuroscience Research Australia, Sydney, NSW, Australia
7National Imaging Facility (Ramaciotti Imaging Center), Brain and Mind Research Institute, University of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Corresponding Author:
- Ronald Ho Yeung Chan
ANSTO Life Sciences
Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organization
Sydney, New South Wales, ustralia
Tel: + 612 9717 3111
E-mail: Ronald.Chan@usyd.edu.au
Received date: September 14, 2014; Accepted date: October 20, 2014; Published date: October 23, 2014
Citation: Chan RHY, Kam WWY, Liu GJ, Zavitsanou K, Banati RB (2014) Testicular Translocator Protein Expression is Differentially Altered by Synthetic Cannabinoid HU210 in Adult and Adolescent Rats. J Addict Res Ther 5:198. doi:10.4172/2155-6105.1000198
Copyright: © 2014 Chan RHY, et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Abstract
Objective: The translocator protein (TSPO) has been implicated in numerous functions including steroid production and regulation of stress and anxiety. Cannabinoids have been shown to reduce plasma testosterone levels and alter anxiety levels. The aim of the present study was to determine whether the synthetic cannabinoid HU210 is able to regulate TSPO expression in several peripheral organs.
Methods: HU210 (100 μg/kg) was administered intraperitoneally to both adult and adolescent male ratsfor 14 days. TSPO receptor expression in several organs, including the liver, spleen, kidneys and testes, was quantified by membrane receptor binding using the selective radiolig and, PK11195. In cases where receptor binding data indicated significant cannabinoid-induced differences, further RT-qPCR was carried out to determine the transcriptional regulation of the TSPO gene. Additionally, film-autography was used to identify potential changes in the spatial distribution of the TSPO tissue binding sites.
Results: Results indicate that HU210 induces significant reductions in testicular TSPO expression in adult but not adolescent rats. No changes were found in other organs examined. These results are consistent with the previously observed effects of cannabinoids on testosterone production and a presumed role for TSPO in steroidogenesis.
Conclusions: Overall, these results suggest that cannabinoids may alter testosterone production by altering the expression of testicular TSPO and that the alteration of TSPO occurs in an age-dependent manner.
