In vivo and in vitro characterization of a new recreational drug: Benzydamine

Drugs misuse is a complex phenomenon that does not appear to have declined significantly in last decades, despite great efforts in terms of repression and therapeutic approaches. Interestingly, the Internet is now playing a key role in shaping how drugs are sold, changing the classic classification of new versus old drugs. Indeed, a growing number of new drugs are now available on the internet drug market, including prescription drugs with psychoactive properties that are easier to obtain than illegal drugs. Among the prescription drugs whose recreational use is on the rise there is Benzydamine (BZY), a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug also abused as a club drug. BZY abuse was first identified in Brazilian teenagers, and then spread to Poland and Romania, and other European countries (Opaleye et al, 2009; Mota et al, 2010; Babalan et al, 2013; Doksat et al, 2009; Settimi et al, 2012). Today, BZY abuse has become the object of increasing concern in public health also in Italy. It is used because, when taken systemically at high doses, it produces euphoria, excitation, hallucinations, and delirium. According to online forums, BZY causes a long-lasting 'brain-flying' effect similar to LSD. It seems that BZY is often taken in conjunction with tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and alcohol to obtain an amplified effect. The main goal of the present dissertation is to characterize the reinforcing properties of BZY using the intravenous drug self-administration in the rat and then to investigate the ability of BZY to induce neuroplastic changes in the cortico-accumbens glutamatergic synapses, using slice electrophysiology.