RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Gut microbiota analysis in rats with methamphetamine-induced conditioned place preference JF bioRxiv FD Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory SP 115709 DO 10.1101/115709 A1 Tingting Ning A1 Xiaokang Gong A1 Lingling Xie A1 MA Baomiao YR 2017 UL http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2017/03/10/115709.abstract AB Methamphetamine abuse is a major public health crisis. Because accumulating evidence supports the hypothesis that the gut microbiota plays an important role in central nervous system (CNS) function, and research on the roles of the microbiome in CNS disorders holds conceivable promise for developing novel therapeutic avenues for treating CNS disorders, we sought to determine whether administration of methamphetamine leads to alterations in the intestinal microbiota. In this study, the gut microbiota profiles of rats with methamphetamine-induced conditioned place preference (CPP) were analysed through 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The faecal microbial diversity was slightly higher in the METH CPP group. The propionate-producing genus Phascolarctobacterium was attenuated in the METH CPP group, and the family Ruminococcaceae was elevated in the METH CPP group. Short chain fatty acid analysis revealed that the concentrations of propionate were decreased in the faecal matter of METH-administered rats. These findings provide direct evidence that administration of METH causes gut dysbiosis, enable a better understanding of the function of gut microbiota in the process of drug abuse, and provide a new paradigm for addiction treatment.