Regulatory Effects of Thymoquinone on Dopamine Level in Neuronal Cells Exposed to Amphetamine: An In Vitro Study

Introduction: Amphetamine (AT) is used to treat some medical conditions and also known to be abused recreationally. It is a potent central nervous system stimulant that is capable of producing damaging effects to the central dopaminergic pathway. Most of AT users are treated clinically for symptomatic treatment which is associated with neurological side effects. To date, there is growing interest in naturally occurring compounds which have lesser side effects to treat health problems. One of the potential compounds is thymoquinone (TQ), an active compound of Nigella sativa which is known for its cellular protective effects. Objective: The objectives of this study were to determine the IC50 values of AT and TQ on differentiated SH-SY5Y neuronal cells and to evaluate the changes of dopamine (DA) level in the cells exposed to AT after co-administering with TQ. Methodology: Differentiated SH-SY5Y cells were grown in cell culture flask containing DMEM/F12 medium supplemented with 10% (v/v) fetal bovine serum and 1% (v/v) penicillin/streptomycin. The IC50 value of TQ and AT in differentiated SH-SY5Y cells was determined by using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. The DA level was determined by using the Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) kit. Result and Discussion: The IC50 values of AT and TQ were 1596 µM and 926 µM respectively. Co-administration of 40 µM of AT and 30 µM of TQ demonstrated a significant increase in DA level at 48 hours of exposure when compared to the administration of AT group (P≤0.05). Conclusion: These findings suggested that TQ has a role in maintaining the DA activity after a long-term AT exposure

MDMA-induced BV2 microglial cell activation in vitro

Background: 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) is a psychostimulant drug that induces neurotoxicity. Even though several psychostimulant substances activate microglia, little is known about MDMA's effects on these cells, and evidence of MDMA-induced microglial activation is equivocal. Materials and Methods: This study employed a murine microglial cell line, BV2, to examine the effects of MDMA on the microglia morphological changes and the survival of microglia in vitro. MDMA was incorporated into the media at the time of plating, and cell number and mitochondrial dehydrogenase activity (MTT) levels were determined in vitro. The level of pro-inflammatory cytokine TNF-α was also determined. Results: Treatment of BV2 cells with MDMA resulted in morphological changes, reduced cell viability after 24h incubation with the inhibitory concentration (IC50) value of 243.6 µg/mL, and increased TNF-α level in a dose-dependent manner. Conclusion: These findings proposed that MDMA could induce BV2 microglial cell activation in vitro and suggested that it has an essential role in developing MDMA use disorder

Hubungan antara penagihan dadah dengan keganasan rumah tangga

Pertubuhan Kesihatan Sedunia (WHO) dan negara-negara anggotanya melalui Resolusi Perhimpunan Kesihatan Sedunia 49.25 telah mengakui bahawa keganasan adalah masalah awam yang serius dan juga merupakan suatu pencabulan hak asasi manusia. Di Malaysia, istilah “keganasan rumah tangga” merujuk kepada keganasan yang dilakukan oleh pasangan terhadap isteri atau orang yang disayangi. Statistik menunjukkan bahawa kes penagihan dadah meningkat seiring dengan peningkatan jumlah kes keganasan rumah tangga. Objektif kajian ini ialah untuk mengkaji perspektif responden berkenaan keganasan rumah tangga terutamanya dalam kalangan pengguna-pengguna opiat di Malaysia khususnya di Terengganu seterusnya kesan penagihan dadah terhadap keharmonian rumah tangga. Kaedah pengajian prospektif telah dijalankan dalam tempoh enam bulan ke atas 30 orang penagih opiat yang sedang menerima rawatan Terapi Gantian Metadon (TGM) di sekitar Kuala Terengganu dengan menggunakan borang kaji selidik. Analisis deskriptif digunakan untuk menganalisis data dalam kajian kuantitatif. Kajian ini menggunakan perisian SPSS versi 22.0%.Hasil kajian memfokuskan hubungan kekeluargaan, perlakuan, tingkah laku serta emosi di antara respondan dan pasangan. Keputusan menunjukkan bahawa hampir 80.0% responden tidak mempunyai sejarah penderaan sebelum ini dan tidak melakukan keganasan rumah tangga terhadap pasangan mereka. Sebanyak 39.4% responden sangat bersetuju bahawa keganasan rumah tangga adalah jenayah, berbanding 7.1% responden yang tidak bersetuju. Seterusnya, data menunjukkan bahawa 36.0% responden bersetuju bahawa layanan mereka terhadap pasangan berubah setelah mengambil dadah. Data juga membuktikan bahawa sebanyak 22.0% responden merasakan pasangan mereka berasa risau dan takut apabila bersama mereka. Hasil daripada analisis data menunjukkan bahawa kebanyakan responden merupakan individu yang mampu menjalani kehidupan normal sebelum pengambilan dadah. Walau bagaimanapun, setelah pengambilan dadah, perubahan pada tingkah laku dan emosi responden menyebabkan berlakunya keganasan dalam rumah tangga dan terhadap keluarga. Hal ini seterusnya menyebabkan pasangan berasa tidak selamat apabila bersama responden

MDMA and the Brain: A Short Review on the Role of Neurotransmitters in Neurotoxicit

N-Methyl-3, 4-methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDMA), or ecstasy is a recreational drug of abuse. It is a synthetic substance that affects the body’s systems, which its mechanism of action and treatment should be more investigated. MDMA provides an immediate enjoyable feeling by stimulating the release of neurotransmitters, such as dopamine and serotonin in the brain. Unfortunately, abnormal regulation of the brain neurotransmitters, as well as the increased oxidative stress causes damage to the brain neurons after the MDMA exposure. Only a few studies have been done regarding its treatment. Thus, the treatment of MDMA complications should be further explored mainly by targeting its mechanism of action in the neurotransmitter systems. Hence, this study presents a short review regarding the recent findings on the role of neurotransmitters to cause MDMA neurotoxicity. The results will be useful for future research in elucidating the potential treatment based on the targeted mechanisms to treat the neurotoxic effects of MDMA