Determination of steroids and their intact glucuronide conjugates in mouse brain by capillary liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

A method for the identification and quantitation of 10 brain steroids and their 2 sulfate and 9 glucuronide conjugates in mouse brain tissues was developed and validated. The method includes the extraction of homogenized brain by solid-phase extraction and the analysis of the extracts by capillary liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The main advantage of the method is that steroid conjugates in brain can be analyzed as intact compounds, without derivatization, hydrolysis, or complex sample preparation procedures; thus, the true identity of the conjugates can be confirmed with tandem mass spectrometric detection. The method was validated to show its linearity (r > 0.998) and precision (<9%). The limits of detection in solution were from 6 to 80 pmol/L for steroid glucuronides, from 13 to 32 pmol/L for steroid sulfates, and from 26 pmol/L to 2.2 nmol/L for native steroids. The recovery of internal standards was 95% for d3-testosterone glucuronide and 69% for d4-allopregnanolone from spiked mouse hippocampus. Brain tissue samples from mouse hippocampus and hypothalamus were analyzed using the new method. Several steroids and glucuronides were identified and quantified from the mouse brain at concentration levels of 0.2-58 ng/g. The concentrations of steroid glucuronides were significant compared to those of their aglycons, indicating that glucuronidation might be an important metabolic pathway for some steroids in the mouse brain. The method developed in this study provides for the first time direct quantitative determination of steroids and their glucuronides and sulfates in brain without hydrolysis and, therefore, creates the possibility to study in detail the role of steroid glucuronidation and sulfation in the brain.

Discovery of neurosteroid glucuronides in mouse brain.

Neurosteroid glucuronides were found for the first time in brain samples. The intact glucuronides were extracted from the cortex, hippocampus, hypothalamus, and mid-brain tissues of nicotine- and water-treated mice, and detected with capillary liquid chromatography-electrospray-tandem mass spectrometry (CapLC-ESI-MS/MS). The glucuronides of estradiol, cortisol, corticosterone, tetrahydrodeoxycorticosterone, pregnenolone, and isopregnanolone were identified by comparing retention times in selected reaction monitoring (SRM) chromatograms and the relative abundances of two SRM transitions of each neurosteroid glucuronide between the reference and authentic samples, thus providing reliable identification. In vitro experiments, carried out by using S9 fractions from mouse and rat brains, showed a formation of glucuronides with selected test compounds (corticosterone, pregnenolone, and dehydroepiandrosterone), suggesting that biosynthesis of neurosteroid glucuronides is possible in rodent brain.

Effects of chronic nicotine administration and its withdrawal on striatal FosB/DeltaFosB and c-Fos expression in rats and mice.

DeltaFosB, a member of Fos family of transcription factors, is implicated in behavioural responses and synaptic plasticity induced by abused drugs. We studied the expressions of FosB/DeltaFosB and c-Fos immunohistochemically in two dopaminergic brain areas, nucleus accumbens (NAcc) and caudate-putamen (CPu). In mice neither 2- nor 7-week oral nicotine treatment induced expression of long-lived DeltaFosB isoforms although during the treatment in the NAcc FosB/DeltaFosB expression was increased as was c-Fos in the CPu. In rats given nicotine subcutaneously once daily for 5days FosB/DeltaFosB expression was elevated in the NAcc still after 24-h withdrawal suggesting accumulation of DeltaFosB but in the CPu neither FosB/DeltaFosB nor c-Fos expression was altered. Thus, in rats repeated nicotine administration seems mainly affect the NAcc paralleling with the evidence that nicotine stimulates preferentially mesolimbic dopamine system. Also, repeated nicotine induced behavioural sensitization in rats agreeing with suggested role of DeltaFosB in the development of psychomotor sensitization. However, in mice given nicotine via drinking fluid although striatal fosB and c-fos were activated by nicotine even after 7-week treatment no evidence of accumulation of long-lived DeltaFosB was found suggesting perhaps a species difference or more likely a role for the manner of administration.

Effect of quinpirole on striatal dopamine release and locomotor activity in nicotine-treated mice.

The effect of chronic oral nicotine treatment which in its intermittent delivery resembles human smoking was studied on the sensitivity of dopamine autoreceptors in mice. On the 50th day of nicotine administration in the drinking water or after 23-25 h withdrawal quinpirole (D2/D3 agonist, 0.01-0.1 mg/kg s.c.) was given, and accumbal and dorsal striatal dopamine outflow, locomotor activity and body temperature were measured. Dorsal striatal extracellular dopamine concentration and locomotor activity were found to be elevated during nicotine administration. Chronic nicotine did not alter the effects of small, autoreceptor preferring doses of quinpirole on accumbal or dorsal striatal dopamine, locomotor activity or body temperature. However, quinpirole's locomotor activity reducing effect was slightly diminished in mice treated repeatedly with nicotine (0.4 mg/kg twice daily for 10 days s.c.). Thus, although repeated nicotine treatment for 5-14 days decreases dopamine autoreceptor sensitivity, after long-term oral nicotine treatment such a decrease is not seen. Thus, the changes occurring in the sensitivity of D2-like dopamine receptors probably play a minor role in regulating the dopaminergic transmission during long-term nicotine administration.