【Animal Modeling】-Establishment of a mentally dependent drug addiction model and the expression of Bax gene in the cerebellum

  Objective To study the effect of psychotropic drugs (heroin) on the expression of Bax gene in the cerebellum of addicted rats.

  Methods The addictive rat model was established by dose-increasing method, and the expression of Bax gene in cerebellar cells was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

  Results After continuous injection of heroin to rats for 7 days, the rats showed obvious withdrawal symptoms; the levels of Bax, caspase-3 and caspase-9 in cerebellar cells were increased by 88.21%, 94.21% and 87.24%, respectively, compared with the control group. There was a significant difference (P<0.01).

  Conclusion The damage effect of mental dependence drugs (heroin) on brain tissue cells may be achieved by inducing the expression of Bax gene in the cerebellum and activating caspase.