SPECT imaging of dopamine transporter in heroin abusers with Jitai tablets maintenance treatment up to one year

Objectives The dopamine transporter (DAT) levels in the striatum can be decreased by chronic exposure to heroin. This present study was to evaluate the time course of DAT changes in heroin users underwent maintenance treatment with Jitai tablets, a traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of opiate addiction.

Methods 25 heroin abusers (24 male, 1 female) and 13 healthy controls (11 male, 2 female) were recruited in this study. The patients were provided with Jitai tablets maintenance treatment. All subjects underwent single-photon emission computer tomography (SPECT) imaging with [99mTc]TRODAT-1 (a radiotracer for labeling DAT) at baseline (after 15 days of detoxification treatment), the third month, the sixth month and one year. DAT availability was assessed in the right striatum and left striatum.

Results The DAT availability was evaluated in healthy controls and heroin abusers with Jitai tablets maintenance treatment at baseline, the third month, the sixth month and one year in the right striatum (1.82±0.31; 1.32±0.22, 1.39±0.35, 1.45±0.29, 1.64±0.26) and left striatum (1.77±0.33; 1.33±0.24, 1.37±0.26, 1.49±0.26, 1.52±0.13). During the Jitai tablets treatment process, the DAT levels of patients remains increasing steadily. Compared to healthy controls, there was a significance increase of DAT availability in the left striatum (p<0.05) at the sixth month and in the bilateral striatum (p<0.05) at one year. One year later, the DAT levels of patients although was slightly lower in the bilateral striatum, did not differ significantly from those in controls.

Conclusions Our results indicated that heroin abuse induces pronounced striatal DAT reduction. The maintenance treatment with Jitai tablets can improve the DAT levels steadily. After treatment of 12 months, the DAT availability can recover significantly in heroin abusers, which suggests that the dopaminergic system can be repaired partly by Jitai tablets in heroin abusers.

Research Support 2008BA149B04