Drug Addictions Treatment

Posts Tagged ‘Antibodies’

Scientists in California have discovered a vaccine that neutralizes cocaine addiction in mice, and now prepare a human version could also work with other addictive as nicotine and methamphetamine. “Our very dramatic results show that we can protect mice from the effects (addictive) of cocaine, and we believe these ranges are very promising in the fight against addiction in humans, “said the director of research, Ronald Crystal.

How does the vaccine work? The vaccine creates antibodies that neutralize the effects of cocaine that create addiction, ie, suppresses the stimulatory effects of the drug before it reaches the brain. In the laboratory model, the vaccine provided immunity to mice for a period of 13 weeks. This new finding is extremely useful for the treatment of cocaine addiction crack, which has the highest rate of relapse among patients in addiction treatment to stop. Drug abuse in the U.S. According to the Institute of Health, USA, in 2008 five 300 000 million Americans over age 12 had used cocaine ‘crack’ at least once in previous months. It is considered that crack is one of the most addictive version of cocaine, whose consumption is prohibited in the country.

The expersos know will be a long way to go before the vaccine can be marketed, but hope that one day his discovery is very important to combat addiction in humans

Researchers from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, USA, have developed a vaccine that helps block the sensation generated by cocaine use by 38 per cent of people who took it, as published in its latest issue the magazine ‘ Archives of General Psychiatry, thereby opening a new hope in the treatment of addiction to this drug.

As explained by the author of this research, Dr. Thomas Kosten, the aim is to curb the rewarding effects of cocaine and reduce relapses in their consumption, and so far it seems that “the concept works,” he said.

Cocaine molecules are too small to attract the attention of the immune system so that, for the body recognizes them, the researchers designed a vaccine that uses a harmless version of cholera toxin were added to small samples of cocaine molecular .

When the immune system reacts to the toxin, produces antibodies to cholera and cocaine, Kosten explained, and “these antibodies involve cocaine, preventing it from leaving the bloodstream. An enzyme called cholinesterase cocaine and breaks out of the body.

For the study, Kosten and his team have 94 volunteers, most crack users, a solid, smokable form of cocaine, which were in methadone treatment. In total, received five doses of vaccine or placebo for three months and those who had higher immune response were more likely to stay free from cocaine.

Thus, although the vaccine does not preclude the desire for cocaine, if he has shown to help prevent relapse in some addicts, Kosten said. The problem is that it creates antibodies in all people. “Twenty-five percent of people who are vaccinated have little antibody response,” he said. Read the rest of this entry »