Department of Drug Addiction Pharmacology

Head:

Professor Małgorzata Filip

Research staff:

Professor Edmund Przegaliński MD PhD, Małgorzata Frankowska PhD, Karolina Wydra-Kolarska PhD,  Irena Smaga-Maślanka PhD, Dawid Gawliński, PhD


Technical staff / specialists:

Teresa Piwowarczyk, Agata Suder, Renata Pieniążek

PhD students:

Kinga Gawlińska MSc, Kacper Witek MSc

Research profile
The Department of Drug Addiction Pharmacology (DAP) was founded in 2017 as a continuation of Drug Addiction Laboratory (established in 2006 as a unit in the Department of Pharmacology). The team is focused on studying various aspects of addiction to psychostimulants (amphetamine, methylenedioxyamphetamine, cocaine), nicotine, alcohol and THC. Study areas of the DAP include molecular and neurochemical mechanisms of addiction and possibilities for pharmacological intervention.

In our research, we use virtually all available research methods that visualize different stages of drug addiction process (initiation, prolonged drug use, craving and other withdrawal symptoms, relapses). The scope of our research includes animal models (experimental depression, transgenic animals), pharmacological manipulations (e.g. lesions, intrastructural and peripheral drug application, injections of selective receptor ligands), biochemical analyzes (changes in receptor and enzyme expression, synaptic and tissue levels of neurotransmitters / neuromodulators) and molecular analysis (mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), gene and miRNA expression, epigenetic analysis).

We closely cooperate with a number of scientific units in Poland (Department of Pharmacodynamics, Faculty of Pharmacy - Medical University of Warsaw, Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacodynamics, Faculty of Pharmacy - Medical University of Lublin) and abroad (Department of Nervous System Research - Karolinska Institutet, Faculty of Pharmacy - University of Ferrara, Department of Pharmacological and Biomolecular Research - University of Milan, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy - University of Friedrich Alexander in Erlangen-Nürnberg).

Research methods
Behavioral methods and tests:
Measurement of locomotor activity in animals, intravenous self-administration of addictive substances, free choice alcohol consumption, natural reward self-administration, sucrose preference test, drug discrimination test, elevated zero maze, modified forced swim test

Molecular biology methods:
DNA / RNA isolation, PCR, RT-qPCRe, electrophoresis in agarose and polyacrylamide gels

Biochemical methods:
Protein isolation, BCA protein assay, Western blot, ELISA, in vivo microdialysis

Histological and histochemical methods:
Tissue fixation, receptor autoradiography, immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence

Other:
Stereotactic implantation of intracerebral cannulas, intravenous cannulation, intracerebral drug administration, bulbectomy

The most important discoveries in the last 3 years
- Amide derivative of N-acetylcysteine inhibits cocaine relapse in rats with experimental depression.
- Tonic activation of A2A receptors located in the nucleus accumbens induces cocaine relapse.


















More publications
  • The effect of omega-3 fatty acid-enriched diet on the myelination impairment and the depression-like phenotype induced by maternal high-fat diet during pregnancy and lactation in offspring. NCN, SONATA 16, UMO-2020/39/D/NZ5/02581, Irena Smaga-Maślanka, PhD

  • The effect of high-fat mother's diet during pregnancy and lactation on epigenetic changes within the gene encoding the cannabinoid receptor CB1 (CNR1) in the brain of offspring. NCN, MINIATURA 4, 2020/04/X/NZ7/00049 , Irena Smaga-Maślanka, PhD

  • Modified maternal diet as a factor of autism spectrum disorders in offspring - preclinical molecular studies on prefrontal cortex in male and female rats, Kinga Gawlińska, PhD

  • , Professor Małgorzata Filip, PhD

  • , Professor Małgorzata Filip, PhD

  • Effects and potential mechanisms of action of dislufiram and nepicastat in morphine dependence in laboratory animal , Małgorzata Frankowska, PhD

  • , Professor Małgorzata Filip, PhD
  • The role of the mGlu5-D2 heterodimeric receptor complexes in the extinction of drug seeking behavior associated with dependents to psichostimulants (cocaine and MDMA): behavioral and biomolecular analyses in rats , Małgorzata Frankowska, PhD

  • Understanding cocaine addiction. A2A-D2 and A1-D1 heteromers as novel targets for cocaine action, Małgorzata Frankowska, PhD

  • - Effects and potential mechanisms of action of dislufiram and nepicastat in morphine dependence in laboratory animal, Małgorzata Frankowska, PhD
more_grants
  • Children 2021 Best PhD Thesis Award, Kinga Gawlińska, PhD
    Friday, 24 June 2022
  • , Kinga Gawlińska, PhD
    Wednesday, 11 May 2022
  • , Małgorzata Frankowska, PhD
    Monday, 10 January 2022
  • Scholarship of the Minister of Science and Higher Education for outstanding young scientists, Kinga Gawlińska, PhD
    Wednesday, 23 June 2021
  • , Kinga Gawlińska, PhD
    Wednesday, 25 November 2020
  • , Kinga Gawlińska, PhD
    Monday, 23 November 2020
  • , Kinga Gawlińska, PhD
    Friday, 13 November 2020
  • , Kinga Gawlińska, PhD
    Friday, 17 July 2020
  • , Irena Smaga-Maślanka, PhD
    Tuesday, 9 June 2020
  • , Kinga Gawlińska, PhD
    Thursday, 7 November 2019
  • , Kinga Gawlińska, PhD
    Tuesday, 8 October 2019
  • , Małgorzata Frankowska, PhD
    Thursday, 20 December 2018
  • , Kinga Gawlińska, PhD
    Thursday, 20 December 2018
  • , Kinga Gawlińska, PhD
    Monday, 5 November 2018
  • , Kinga Gawlińska, PhD
    Tuesday, 18 September 2018
more_awards
Head

Professor Małgorzata Filip, PhD

Phone number: +48 12 6623296
E-mail: mal.fil@if-pan.krakow.pl

interests

techniques

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