The neutral CB1 antagonist AM6527 reduces ethanol seeking, binge-like consumption, reinforcing, and withdrawal effects in male and female mice.

rationaleAlcohol use disorder (AUD) is a debilitating physiological and psychiatric disorder which affects individuals globally. The current pharmacological interventions to treat AUD are limited, and hence there is an urgent need for a novel pharmacological therapy which can be effective and safe across the population.

objectiveWe aimed to investigate a novel neutral cannabinoid receptor-1 (CB1R) antagonist, AM6527, in several preclinical models of ethanol consumption using male and female C57BL6/J mice.

methodsIndependent groups of male and female mice were subjected to repeated cycles of drinking in the dark (DID), or intermittent access to alcohol (IAA) procedures. Twenty minutes prior to ethanol access in each procedure, animals were treated with intraperitoneal injections of either 1, 3, and 10 mg/kg of AM6527 or its respective vehicle. Acamprosate (100, 200, 300, and 400 mg/kg) or its respective vehicle was used as a positive control. Separate groups of male mice were subjected to a chain schedule of ethanol reinforcement to gain access to ethanol wherein completion of a fixed interval (FI; 5 min) schedule (link 1: "Seeking") was reinforced with continuous access to ethanol (fixed ratio; FR1) for up to 1.8 g/kg (link 2: "consumption"). All the animals were treated with 1, 3, and 10 mg/kg of AM6527 or its respective vehicle 20 mins prior to the start of the FI chain of the procedure. Separately, AM6527 was also evaluated in male and female mice undergoing acute ethanol withdrawal following 8 weeks of intermittent or continuous access to 20% ethanol drinking.

resultsIn both DID and IAA procedures, AM6527 reduced ethanol consumption in a dose-related manner in both male and female mice. AM6527 produced no tolerance in the DID procedure; mice treated with 3 mg/kg of AM6527 for 3 weeks continuously drank significantly smaller amounts of ethanol as compared to vehicle-treated mice over a period of three DID cycles. Moreover, in the IAA procedure, AM6527 caused an increase in water intake over the 24-h period. Acamprosate transiently reduced ethanol intake in male mice in both the DID and the IAA procedures but failed to produce any significant effect in female mice. AM6527 also produced a decrease in the FI responding ("ethanol seeking") in animals trained to self-administer ethanol. Lastly, AM6527 mitigated neurological withdrawal signs, i.e., handling induced convulsions (HIC) in mice undergoing acute ethanol withdrawal.

conclusionsCurrent findings support previous studies with CB1R neutral antagonist in reducing voluntary ethanol intake and seeking behavior. Based on results shown in this work, AM6527 can be developed as a first in class CB1R neutral antagonist to treat AUD in both males and females.