Abstract:OBJECTIVE: Some patients who have been administrated benzodizepine for a long period will develop medicine tolerance. This study aims to investigate the molecular mechanism underlying this tolerance to benzodiazepine and the reversal of this tolerance by Rol5-4513. METHODS: One group of audiogenic seizure rats was administrated flurazepam for two weeks (the flurazepam group), which resulted in tolerance without behavioral signs of withdrawal to flurazepam. Another group was co-administrated Rol5-4513 daily for 7 days from the eighth day of flurazepam treatment (the Rol5-4513 group) to observe the effect of Rol5-4513 on the tolerance to flurazepam. The control group was administrated the same volume of propylene glycol as in the flurazepam group or the Rol5-4513 group. GABAA receptor subunit α1, α3, α5, γ2L and 72S were assayed using quantitative competitive RT-PCR in rat FrPaM and hippocampus. RESULTS: In the flurazepam group the content of mRNA encoding for α1, α3, γ2L and 72s was all significantly decreased (by 24%, 17%, 35% and 45% respectively) in FrPaM, whereas that of α5 was significantly increased (by 33%) compared with the control group. In hippocampus, α1, γ2L,and γ2S mRNA contents were significantly decreased (by 33% , 35% and 27% respectively). In the Rol5-4513 group, no significant changes were found with α1, α3,α5, γ2L and 72s in FrPaM, and α1,α5, γ2L, and γ23 in hippocampus compared with the control group. CONCLUSIONS: The accomodated change in GABAA receptor subunit α1 ,α3,α5, γ2L and γ2S in FrPaM and hippocampus may be associated with the mechanism for flurazepam tolerance in audiogenic seizure rats. Rol5-4513 can reverse the tolerance to flurazepam by affecting the modification of GABAA receptor subunit α1, α3, α5, γ2L, and γ2S subunit expression.