Neuronal Apoptosis and Drug Addiction

ZHANG Changlin1,2,3, HAN Shuang1,2,4, YANG Hongwei1,2, CHEN Yue1,2, LI Zicheng1,2*

(¹Department of Functional Sciences, Basic Medical College of China Three Gorges University, Yichang 443002, China; ²Third-Grade Pharmacological Laboratory on Traditional Chinese Medicine, State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, China Three Gorges University, Yichang 443002, China; ³Yichang Central People’s Hospital, Yichang 443003, China; ¹the First Peopleʼs Hospital of Yichang, Yichang 443002, China)

Abstract:

Drug addiction is a chronic and recurrent brain disease which results in serious public health and social issues. At present, the mechanism of drug addiction has not been fully clarified, and there is no effective clinical intervention. Apoptosis refers to autonomous programmed cell death controlled by genes, which plays wide roles in physiological and pathological processes. In recent years, it has been found that neuronal apoptosis is an important phenomenon of the nervous system, which is closely concerned with the development of various brain diseases, and the role of neuronal apoptosis in drug addiction is receiving more attention. Therefore, intensive study on the interaction between neuronal apoptosis and drug addiction reveals the mechanism of occurrence and development of drug addiction, which is of great significance to explore the prevention and treatment of drug addiction. This review briefly describes the role of neuronal apoptosis in addictive psychoactive substances, such as cocaine, opioids, amphetamines, alcohol and tobacco as well as the research progress in neurobiological mechanism and potential treatment of neuronal apoptosis in drug addiction. This review may provide new ideas for the study and treatment of drug addiction.

CSTR: 32200.14.cjcb.2023.05.0014