RT Journal Article T1 Nalmefene is effective at reducing alcohol seeking, treating alcohol-cocaine interactions and reducing alcohol-induced histone deacetylases gene expression in blood. A1 Calleja-Conde, Javier A1 Echeverry-Alzate, Victor A1 Giné, Elena A1 Bühler, Kora-Mareen A1 Nadal, Roser A1 Maldonado, Rafael A1 Rodríguez de Fonseca, Fernando A1 Gual, Antoni A1 López-Moreno, Jose Antonio AB The opioid antagonist nalmefene (selincro®) was approved for alcohol-related disorders by the European Medicines Agency in 2013. However, there have been no studies regarding the effectiveness of nalmefene when alcohol is used in combination with cocaine. Using operant alcohol self-administration in Wistar rats and qRT-PCR, we evaluated (i) the dose-response curve for s.c. and p.o. nalmefene; (ii) the effects of nalmefene with increasing concentrations of alcohol; (iii) the efficacy of nalmefene on cocaine-potentiated alcohol responding; and (iv) the gene expression profiles of histone deacetylases (Hdac1-11) in peripheral blood in vivo and in the prefrontal cortex, heart, liver and kidney post mortem. S.c. (0.01, 0.05, 0.1 mg·kg(-1) ) and p.o. (10, 20, 40 mg·kg(-1) ) nalmefene dose-dependently reduced alcohol-reinforced responding by up to 50.3%. This effect of nalmefene was not dependent on alcohol concentration (10, 15, 20%). Cocaine potentiated alcohol responding by approximately 40% and nalmefene (0.05 mg·kg(-1) ) reversed this effect of cocaine. Alcohol increased Hdac gene expression in blood and nalmefene prevented the increases in Hdacs 3, 8, 5, 7, 9, 6 and 10. In the other tissues, alcohol and nalmefene either did not alter the gene expression of Hdacs, as in the prefrontal cortex, or a tissue-Hdac-specific effect was observed. Nalmefene might be effective as a treatment for alcohol-dependent patients who also use cocaine. Also, the expression of Hdacs in peripheral blood might be useful as a biomarker of alcohol use and drug response. YR 2016 FD 2016-07-18 LK http://hdl.handle.net/10668/10134 UL http://hdl.handle.net/10668/10134 LA en DS RISalud RD Apr 9, 2025