Planarians in pharmacology: parthenolide is a specific behavioral antagonist of cocaine in the planarian Girardia tigrina

• Autores: Oné R. Pagán, Debra L. Baker, Sean Deats, Erica Montgomery, Matthew Tenaglia, Clinita Randolph, Dharini Kotturu, Christopher Tallarida, Daniel Bach, Galia Wilk, Scott Rawls, Robert B. Raffa
• Localización: International journal of developmental biology, ISSN 0214-6282, Vol. 56, Nº. 1-3, 2012, págs. 193-196
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • Planarians are traditional animal models in developmental and regeneration biology. Recently, these organisms are arising as vertebrate-relevant animal models in neuropharmacology. Using an adaptation of published behavioral protocols, we have described the alleviation of cocaine-induced planarian seizure-like movements (pSLM) by a naturally-occurring sesquiterpene lactone, parthenolide. Interestingly, parthenolide does not prevent the expression of pSLM induced by amphetamines; in vertebrates, amphetamines interact with the same protein target as cocaine. Parthenolide is also unable to prevent pSLM elicited by the cholinergic com-pounds nicotine and cytisine or by the glutamatergic agents L- or D- glutamic acid or NMDA. Thus, we conclude that parthenolide is a specific anti-cocaine agent in this experimental organism.