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Contreras KM, Buzzi B, Vaughn J, Caillaud M, Altarifi AA, Olszewski E, Walentiny DM, Beardsley PM, Damaj MI. Characterization and validation of a spontaneous acute and protracted oxycodone withdrawal model in male and female mice. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2024; 242:173795. [PMID: 38834159 PMCID: PMC11283946 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2024.173795] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2024] [Revised: 05/27/2024] [Accepted: 05/30/2024] [Indexed: 06/06/2024]
Abstract
Opioid use disorder (OUD) is a serious health problem that may lead to physical dependence, in addition to affective disorders. Preclinical models are essential for studying the neurobiology of and developing pharmacotherapies to treat these problems. Historically, chronic morphine injections have most often been used to produce opioid-dependent animals, and withdrawal signs indicative of dependence were precipitated by administering an opioid antagonist. In the present studies, we have developed and validated a model of dependence on oxycodone (a widely prescribed opioid) during spontaneous withdrawal in male and female C57BL/6J mice. Dependence was induced by chronically administering oxycodone through osmotic minipumps at different doses for 7 days. Somatic withdrawal signs were measured after 3, 6, 24, and 48 h following minipump removal. Additionally, sensitivity to mechanical, thermal, and cold stimuli, along with anxiety-like behavior, were also measured. Our results indicated that spontaneous withdrawal following discontinuation of oxycodone produced an increase in total withdrawal signs after 60 and 120 mg/kg/day regimens of oxycodone administration. These signs were reversed by the administration of clinically approved medications for OUD. In general, both female and male mice showed similar profiles of somatic signs of spontaneous withdrawal. Spontaneous withdrawal also resulted in mechanical and cold hypersensitivity lasting for 24 and 14 days, respectively, and produced anxiety-like behaviors after 2 and 3 weeks following oxycodone removal. These results help validate a new model of oxycodone dependence, including the temporally distinct emergence of somatic, hyperalgesic, and anxiety-like behaviors, potentially useful for mechanistic and translational studies of opioid dependence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine M Contreras
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
| | - Belle Buzzi
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
| | - Julian Vaughn
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
| | - Martial Caillaud
- Nantes Université, INSERM, UMR1235-TENS, The Enteric Nervous System in Gut and Brain Diseases, Nantes, France
| | - Ahmad A Altarifi
- Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan
| | - Emily Olszewski
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
| | - D Matthew Walentiny
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
| | - Patrick M Beardsley
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA; Center for Biomarker Research & Precision Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Pharmacy, Richmond, VA, USA
| | - M Imad Damaj
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA; Translational Research Initiative for Pain and Neuropathy at Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA.
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Long-Term Effects of Developmental Exposure to Oxycodone on Gut Microbiota and Relationship to Adult Behaviors and Metabolism. mSystems 2022; 7:e0033622. [PMID: 35862801 PMCID: PMC9426609 DOI: 10.1128/msystems.00336-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Opioid drugs are commonly prescribed analgesic to pregnant women. Direct exposure to such drugs may slow gut motility, alter gut permeability, and affect the gut microbiome. While such drugs affect gut microbiome in infants, no study to date has determined whether developmental exposure to such drugs results in longstanding effects on gut microbiota and correspondingly on host responses. We hypothesized developmental exposure to oxycodone (OXY) leads to enduring effects on gut microbiota and such changes are associated with adult neurobehavioral and metabolic changes. Female mice were treated daily with 5 mg OXY/kg or saline solution (control [CTL]) for 2 weeks prior to breeding and then throughout gestation. Male and female offspring pups were weaned, tested with a battery of behavioral and metabolic tests, and fecal boli were collected adulthood (120 days of age). In females, relative abundance of Butyricimonas spp., Bacteroidetes, Anaeroplasma spp., TM7, Enterococcus spp., and Clostridia were greater in OXY versus CTL individuals. In males, relative abundance of Coriobacteriaceae, Roseburia spp., Sutterella spp., and Clostridia were elevated in OXY exposed individuals. Bacterial changes were also associated with predictive metabolite pathway alterations that also varied according to sex. In males and females, affected gut microbiota correlated with metabolic but not behavioral alterations. The findings suggest that developmental exposure to OXY leads to lasting effects on adult gut microbiota that might affect host metabolism, possibly through specific bacterial metabolites or other bacterial-derived products. Further work is needed to characterize how developmental exposure to OXY affects host responses through the gut microbiome. IMPORTANCE This is the first work to show in a rodent model that in utero exposure to an opioid drug can lead to longstanding effects on the gut microbiota when examined at adulthood. Further, such bacterial changes are associated with metabolic host responses. Given the similarities between rodent and human microbiomes, it raises cause for concern that similar effects may become evident in children born to mothers taking oxycodone and other opioid drugs.
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Santos EJ, Banks ML, Negus SS. Role of Efficacy as a Determinant of Locomotor Activation by Mu Opioid Receptor Ligands in Female and Male Mice. J Pharmacol Exp Ther 2022; 382:44-53. [PMID: 35489781 DOI: 10.1124/jpet.121.001045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2021] [Accepted: 04/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Mu opioid receptor (MOR) agonists produce locomotor hyperactivity in mice as one sign of opioid-induced motor disruption. The goal of this study was to evaluate the degree of MOR efficacy required to produce this hyperactivity. Full dose-effect curves were determined for locomotor activation produced in male and female ICR mice by (1) eight different single-molecule opioids with high to low MOR efficacy, and (2) a series of fixed-proportion fentanyl/naltrexone mixtures with high to low fentanyl proportions. Data from the mixtures were used to quantify the efficacy requirement for MOR agonist-induced hyperactivity relative to efficacy requirements determined previously for other MOR agonist effects. Specifically, efficacy requirement was quantified as the EP50 value, which is the "Effective Proportion" of fentanyl in a fentanyl/naltrexone mixture that produces a maximal effect equal to 50% of the maximal effect of fentanyl alone. Maximal hyperactivity produced by each drug and mixture in the present study correlated with previously published data for maximal stimulation of GTPɣS binding in MOR-expressing Chinese hamster ovary cells as an in vitro measure of relative efficacy. Additionally, the EP50 value for hyperactivity induced by fentanyl/naltrexone mixtures indicated that opioid-induced hyperactivity in mice has a relatively high efficacy requirement in comparison to some other MOR agonist effects, and in particular is higher than the efficacy requirement for thermal antinociception in mice or fentanyl discrimination in rats. Taken together, these data show that MOR agonist-induced hyperactivity in mice is efficacy dependent and requires relatively high levels of MOR agonist efficacy for its full expression. Significance Statement Mu opioid receptor (MOR) agonist-induced hyperlocomotion in mice is dependent on the MOR efficacy of the agonist and requires a relatively high degree of efficacy for its full expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edna J Santos
- Pharmacology and Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University, United States
| | - Matthew L Banks
- Pharmacology and Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University, United States
| | - S Stevens Negus
- Pharmacology and Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University, United States
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Maternal Oxycodone Treatment Results in Neurobehavioral Disruptions in Mice Offspring. eNeuro 2021; 8:ENEURO.0150-21.2021. [PMID: 34312305 PMCID: PMC8354714 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0150-21.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2021] [Revised: 06/28/2021] [Accepted: 07/06/2021] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Opioid drugs are increasingly being prescribed to pregnant women. Such compounds can also bind and activate opioid receptors in the fetal brain, which could lead to long-term brain and behavioral disruptions. We hypothesized that maternal treatment with oxycodone (OXY), the primary opioid at the center of the current crisis, leads to later neurobehavioral disorders and gene expression changes in the hypothalamus and hippocampus of resulting offspring. Female mice were treated daily with 5 mg OXY/kg or saline solution (control; CTL) for two weeks before breeding and then throughout gestation. Male and female offspring from both groups were tested with a battery of behavioral and metabolic tests to measure cognition, exploratory-like, anxiety-like, voluntary physical activity, and socio-communication behaviors. qPCR analyses were performed for candidate gene expression patterns in the hypothalamus and hippocampus of OXY and CTL derived offspring. Developmental exposure to OXY caused socio-communication changes that persisted from weaning through adulthood. Such offspring also showed cognitive impairments, reduced voluntary physical activity, and weighed more than CTL counterparts. In the hippocampus, prenatal exposure to OXY caused sex-dependent differences in expression of genes encoding opioid receptors and those involved in serotonin signaling. OXY exposure induced changes in neuropeptide hormone expression and the epigenetic modulator, Dnmt3a, in the hypothalamus, which could result in epigenetic changes in this brain region. The findings suggest cause for concern that consumption of OXY by pregnant mothers may result in permanent neurobehavioral changes in their offspring. Further work is needed to determine the potential underpinning epigenetic mechanisms.
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Carper M, Contreras KM, Walentiny DM, Beardsley PM, Damaj MI. Validation and characterization of oxycodone physical dependence in C57BL/6J mice. Eur J Pharmacol 2021; 903:174111. [PMID: 33901461 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2021.174111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2021] [Revised: 04/07/2021] [Accepted: 04/19/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Opioid use disorder is a growing concern in the United States. Mice were used to investigate the mechanisms involving opioid physical dependence and for evaluating medications for treating opioid use disorders. While there are many preclinical reports describing protocols for inducing physical dependence upon morphine, there are fewer preclinical reports describing more contemporary abused prescription opiates. The goal of this study was to characterize and validate a mouse model of oxycodone dependence. Male C57BL/6J mice were injected with saline or increasing doses of oxycodone (9-33 mg/kg) twice daily for 8 days. On the 9th day, mice were challenged with 1 mg/kg naloxone and observed for somatic signs. Mice were pretreated with oxycodone (17, 33, or 75 mg/kg) prior to withdrawal to determine if it could attenuate somatic withdrawal signs. Additional mouse groups were pretreated with 1 mg/kg clonidine. Lastly, we measured somatic signs for 6, 24, and 48 h post-withdrawal during spontaneous and precipitated withdrawal. Pretreating with oxycodone or clonidine dose-dependently prevented the emergence of withdrawal signs. Mice chronically treated with oxycodone exhibited more withdrawal signs than vehicle at 24 h after the final injection during spontaneous withdrawal. In contrast, mice that received repeated naloxone challenges showed peak withdrawal signs at 6 h, and withdrawal signs were significantly greater at all time points compared to vehicle. Reversal of withdrawal effects by positive controls, and establishing spontaneous and precipitated withdrawal paradigms, serve as validation of this model and provide a means to examine novel therapeutics to treat opioid withdrawal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Moriah Carper
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, 23298, USA
| | - Katherine M Contreras
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, 23298, USA
| | - D Matthew Walentiny
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, 23298, USA
| | - Patrick M Beardsley
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, 23298, USA; Center for Biomarker Research and Precision Medicine, USA
| | - M Imad Damaj
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, 23298, USA; Translational Research Initiative for Pain and Neuropathy at VCU, USA.
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Green MT, Martin RE, Kinkade JA, Schmidt RR, Bivens NJ, Tuteja G, Mao J, Rosenfeld CS. Maternal oxycodone treatment causes pathophysiological changes in the mouse placenta. Placenta 2020; 100:96-110. [PMID: 32891007 PMCID: PMC8112023 DOI: 10.1016/j.placenta.2020.08.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2020] [Revised: 08/03/2020] [Accepted: 08/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Pregnant women are increasingly being prescribed and abusing opioid drugs. As the primary communication organ between mother and conceptus, the placenta may be vulnerable to opioid effects but also holds the key to better understanding how these drugs affect long-term offspring health. We hypothesized that maternal treatment with oxycodone (OXY), the primary opioid at the center of the current crisis, deleteriously affects placental structure and gene expression patterns. METHODS Female mice were treated daily with 5 mg OXY/kg or saline solution (Control, CTL) for two weeks prior to breeding and until placenta were collected at embryonic age 12.5. A portion of the placenta was fixed for histology, and the remainder was frozen for RNA isolation followed by RNAseq. RESULTS Maternal OXY treatment reduced parietal trophoblast giant cell (pTGC) area and decreased the maternal blood vessel area within the labyrinth region. OXY exposure affected placental gene expression profiles in a sex dependent manner with female placenta showing up-regulation of many placental enriched genes, including Ceacam11, Ceacam14, Ceacam12, Ceacam13, Prl7b1, Prl2b1, Ctsq, and Tpbpa. In contrast, placenta of OXY exposed males had alteration of many ribosomal proteins. Weighted correlation network analysis revealed that in OXY female vs. CTL female comparison, select modules correlated with OXY-induced placental histological changes. Such associations were lacking in the male OXY vs. CTL male comparison. DISCUSSION Results suggest OXY exposure alters placental histology. In response to OXY exposure, female placenta responds by upregulating placental enriched transcripts that are either unchanged or downregulated in male placenta. Such changes may shield female offspring from developmental origins of health and disease-based diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madison T Green
- Christopher S Bond Life Sciences Center, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, 65211, USA; Biomedical Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, 65211, USA
| | - Rachel E Martin
- Christopher S Bond Life Sciences Center, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, 65211, USA; Biomedical Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, 65211, USA
| | - Jessica A Kinkade
- Christopher S Bond Life Sciences Center, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, 65211, USA; Biomedical Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, 65211, USA
| | - Robert R Schmidt
- Christopher S Bond Life Sciences Center, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, 65211, USA; Biomedical Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, 65211, USA
| | - Nathan J Bivens
- DNA Core Facility, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, 65211, USA
| | - Geetu Tuteja
- Genetics, Development and Cell Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 50011, USA
| | - Jiude Mao
- Christopher S Bond Life Sciences Center, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, 65211, USA; Biomedical Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, 65211, USA
| | - Cheryl S Rosenfeld
- Christopher S Bond Life Sciences Center, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, 65211, USA; Biomedical Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, 65211, USA; Informatics Institute, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, 65211, USA; Thompson Center for Autism and Neurobehavioral Disorders, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, 65211, USA; Genetics Area Program, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, 65211, USA.
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