TY - JOUR T1 - Lorcaserin, a 5-HT<sub>2C</sub> Agonist, Decreases Nicotine Self-Administration in Female Rats JF - Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics JO - J Pharmacol Exp Ther SP - 890 LP - 896 DO - 10.1124/jpet.111.183525 VL - 338 IS - 3 AU - Edward D. Levin AU - Joshua E. Johnson AU - Susan Slade AU - Corinne Wells AU - Marty Cauley AU - Ann Petro AU - Jed E. Rose Y1 - 2011/09/01 UR - http://jpet.aspetjournals.org/content/338/3/890.abstract N2 - 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 (0.3125–20 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. ER -