استفاده از متابولومیکس برای بررسی نشناگر های زیستی اعتیاد به مواد مخدر Using Metabolomics to Investigate Biomarkers of Drug Addiction

Metabolomics and the Dole–Nyswander Theory Drug addiction is a chronic disease and an ongoing social problem world-wide. A treatment for narcotic addiction evolved during the 1960s, when Marie Nyswander and Vincent Dole conducted clinical trials that led to the development of the Methadone Maintenance Program (MMP) (see Glossary). During this period, these researchers became convinced that there was no evidence to support the theory that addicts have sociopathic tendencies or addictive personalities [1]. However, they noticed that methadone prevented withdrawal and reduced cravings in opioid addicts, enabling them to return to normal life activities [1]. It appeared that methadone, similar to insulin for a diabetic, restored normal homeostasis [1]. Together, these observations led to the theory that addiction was initiated through a disruption in metabolism resulting in a persistent neurochemical disturbance and, furthermore, that this imbalance could lead to the types of psychological disturbance (such as underhanded tactics or deviant behaviors) reported for addicts (reviewed in [1]). Metabolomics has been used in clinical and laboratory medicine for the discovery of potential diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic biomarkers [2], and may provide a means to reveal underlying metabolic perturbations associated with drug addiction, withdrawal, and relapse [3]. Metabolomics technologies enable the analysis of the low-molecular-weight (LMW) complement of cells, tissues, or biological fluids. Given that body fluids and tissues are rich in LMW endogenous metabolites, untargeted metabolomics provides a means to profile the biochemistry of an individual, or a cellular or organ system [4]. Indeed, many metabolites are involved in multiple biochemical pathways, and their quality and quantity in biospecimens represent a comprehensive metabolic status [4].