@article {Levin890, author = {Edward D. Levin and Joshua E. Johnson and Susan Slade and Corinne Wells and Marty Cauley and Ann Petro and Jed E. Rose}, title = {Lorcaserin, a 5-HT2C Agonist, Decreases Nicotine Self-Administration in Female Rats}, volume = {338}, number = {3}, pages = {890--896}, year = {2011}, doi = {10.1124/jpet.111.183525}, publisher = {American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics}, abstract = {Lorcaserin, a selective 5-hydroxytryptamine2C (5-HT2C) agonist, has been shown to facilitate weight loss in obese populations. It was assessed for its efficacy in reducing nicotine self-administration in young adult female Sprague-Dawley rats. The effect of short-term doses (subcutaneous) on nicotine self-administration (0.03 mg/kg per infusion) with a fixed ratio 1 schedule was assessed in 3-h sessions. Short-term lorcaserin doses (0.3125{\textendash}20 mg/kg) were administered in a counterbalanced order. Significant reduction of nicotine self-administration was achieved with all of the short-term doses in this range. Tests of lorcaserin on locomotor activity detected prominent sedative effects at doses greater than 1.25 mg/kg with more modest transient effects seen at 0.625 to 1.25 mg/kg. Long-term effects of lorcaserin on locomotor activity were tested with repeated injections with 0.625 mg/kg lorcaserin 10 times over 2 weeks. This low lorcaserin dose did not cause an overall change in locomotor activity relative to that of saline-injected controls. Long-term lorcaserin (0.625 mg/kg) significantly reduced nicotine self-administration over a 2-week period of repeated injections. Long-term lorcaserin at this same dose had no significant effects on food self-administration over the same 2-week period of repeated injections. These studies support development of the 5-HT2C agonist lorcaserin to aid tobacco smoking cessation.}, issn = {0022-3565}, URL = {https://jpet.aspetjournals.org/content/338/3/890}, eprint = {https://jpet.aspetjournals.org/content/338/3/890.full.pdf}, journal = {Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics} }