Oxidative stress and BDNF as possible markers for the severity of crack cocaine use in early withdrawal

• Published in: Psychopharmacology Vol. 231; no. 20; pp. 4031 - 4039
• Main Authors: Sordi, Anne Orgle, Pechansky, Flavio, Kessler, Felix Henrique Paim, Kapczinski, Flávio, Pfaffenseller, Bianca, Gubert, Carolina, de Aguiar, Bianca Wollenhaupt, de Magalhães Narvaez, Joana Correa, Ornell, Felipe, von Diemen, Lisia
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01-10-2014; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adult; Biomarkers; Biomarkers - blood; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Brain-derived neurotrophic factor; Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor - blood; Cocaine; Cocaine-Related Disorders - diagnosis; Cocaine-Related Disorders - metabolism; Cocaine-Related Disorders - psychology; Complications and side effects; Crack (Drug); Crack Cocaine; Drug abuse; Drug interactions; Health aspects; Humans; Male; Neurosciences; Original Investigation; Oxidative stress; Oxidative Stress - physiology; Pharmacology/Toxicology; Psychiatry; Psychopharmacology; Severity of Illness Index; Substance Withdrawal Syndrome - metabolism; Substance Withdrawal Syndrome - psychology; Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances - metabolism; Young Adult; Drug abuse; Oxidative stress; Cocaine; BDNF; Abstinence; Plasticity
• ISSN: 0033-3158; 1432-2072
• DOI: 10.1007/s00213-014-3542-1

Rationale
An important goal of addiction research is to discover neurobiological markers that could predict the severity of addiction and help to determine appropriate treatment. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) are being related to cerebral plasticity and impairment caused by substance abuse.
Objectives
This study aims to evaluate alteration of TBARS and BDNF levels among crack cocaine users during early drug withdrawal and its relationship to severity of drug use.
Methods
Forty-nine adults crack cocaine users were recruited at a public psychiatric hospital with a specialized addiction treatment unit. Blood sample was collected at intake and discharge for the analysis of TBARS and BDNF measures. Information about drug use was assessed by the Addiction Severity Index 6th Version (ASI-6). Detailed information about crack cocaine use was obtained through the “Profile of the crack cocaine user.” Severity of crack use was estimated using information from age of first crack use, years of crack use, and crack rocks used in the previous 30 days.
Results
There is a positive correlation between TBARS levels and severity of crack cocaine use (
R
 = 0.304,
p
 = 0.04) and a negative correlation between BDNF and severity of crack cocaine use (
R
 = −0.359,
p
 = 0.01) at discharge. Also, we found an inverse correlation between TBARS and BDNF levels (
R
 = −0.294,
p
 = 0.004) at discharge.
Conclusions
Our findings suggest that BDNF and TBARS could be possible markers for the severity of drug use. Further studies may show how those markers could be related to staging, prognosis, and treatment in crack cocaine dependence.