Vol. 285, Issue 2, 444-456, May 1998

The Effects of Buprenorphine on Self-administration of Cocaine and Heroin "Speedball" Combinations and Heroin Alone by Rhesus Monkeys¹

Nancy K. Mello and S. Stevens Negus

Alcohol and Drug Abuse Research Center, McLean Hospital-Harvard Medical School, Belmont, Massachusetts

Concurrent abuse of cocaine and opioids is frequently observed clinically, and we have developed a model of "speedball" self-administration involving the simultaneous injection of cocaine and heroin combinations in rhesus monkeys ( J Pharmacol Exp Ther 274:1325). In the present study, we evaluated the effects of buprenorphine (0.0075-0.75 mg/kg/day i.v.) and saline on speedball combinations of cocaine [0.001, 0.01 or 0.10 mg/kg/inj] and heroin [0.0001-0.032 mg/kg/inj]. We also examined the effects of buprenorphine (0.075 and 0.237 mg/kg/day i.v.) on self-administration of heroin alone (0.0001-0.01 mg/kg/inj). Drug and food (1-g banana pellets) self-administration were maintained on a second-order FR4 (VR16:S) schedule in four 1-hr sessions each day. Each buprenorphine or saline control treatment was evaluated for 10 consecutive days, and monkeys returned to base-line performance between each treatment condition. Buprenorphine (0.075-0.75 mg/kg/day) selectively reduced self-administration of speedball combinations of low-dose cocaine (0.001 mg/kg/inj) and heroin (0.001 or 0.0032 mg/kg/inj) (P < .05-.01), and buprenorphine (0.237 mg/kg/day) shifted dose-effect curves for speedball combinations of cocaine (0.001 mg/kg/inj) and heroin (0.0001-0.032 mg/kg/inj) downward (P < .05-.01) and approximately 1 log unit to the right. Buprenorphine treatment was less effective in decreasing responding maintained by speedball combinations of heroin and 0.01 and 0.10 mg/kg/inj cocaine. Buprenorphine treatment (0.075 and 0.237 mg/kg/day) also shifted the heroin dose-effect curve downward (P < .01-.001) and to the right. Both speedball and heroin self-administration were associated with dose-dependent decreases in food-maintained responding during saline control treatment. However, food-maintained responding was often higher than control levels during buprenorphine treatment (P < .05-.001), which suggests that buprenorphine antagonized the rate-decreasing effects of speedballs and of heroin. Buprenorphine's selective reduction of speedball and heroin self-administration is consistent with clinical treatment trials in opioid abusers and polydrug abusers. Thus, these primate models of speedball and heroin self-administration should be useful for preclinical evaluation of novel drug abuse treatment medications.