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Alzu'bi A, Baker WB, Al-Trad B, Zoubi MSA, AbuAlArjah MI, Abu-El-Rub E, Tahat L, Helaly AM, Ghorab DS, El-Huneidi W, Al-Zoubi RM. The impact of chronic fentanyl administration on the cerebral cortex in mice: Molecular and histological effects. Brain Res Bull 2024; 209:110917. [PMID: 38428507 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainresbull.2024.110917] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2023] [Revised: 02/06/2024] [Accepted: 02/27/2024] [Indexed: 03/03/2024]
Abstract
PURPOSE Fentanyl, a fully synthetic opioid, is widely used for severe pain management and has a huge abuse potential for its psychostimulant effects. Unlike other opioids, the neurotoxic effects of chronic fentanyl administration are still unclear. In particular, little is known about its effect on the cerebral cortex. The current study aims to test the chronic toxicity of fentanyl in the mice model. METHODS Adult male Balb/c mice were chronically treated with low (0.05 mg/kg, i.p) and high (0.1 mg/kg, i.p) doses of fentanyl for 5 consecutive weeks, and various neurotoxic parameters, including apoptosis, oxidative stress, and neuroinflammatory response were assessed in the cortex. Potential histological as well as neurochemical changes were also evaluated. RESULTS The results of this study show that chronic fentanyl administration induced intense levels of apoptosis, oxidative stress, and neuroinflammation in the cerebral cortex. These findings were found to be correlated with histopathological characteristics of neural degeneration and white matter injury. Moreover, fentanyl administration was found to reduce the expression of both NMDA receptor subunits and dopamine receptors and elevate the level of epidermal growth factor (EGF). CONCLUSION Fentanyl administration induced neurotoxic effects in the mouse cerebral cortex that could be primarily mediated by the evoked oxidative-inflammatory response. The altered expression of NMDA receptors, dopamine receptors, and EGF suggests the pernicious effects of fentanyl addiction that may end in the development of toxic psychosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ayman Alzu'bi
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Yarmouk University, Irbid 211-63, Jordan.
| | - Worood Bani Baker
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Yarmouk University, Irbid 211-63, Jordan; Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Yarmouk University, Irbid 211-63, Jordan
| | - Bahaa Al-Trad
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Yarmouk University, Irbid 211-63, Jordan
| | - Mazhar Salim Al Zoubi
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Yarmouk University, Irbid 211-63, Jordan
| | - Manal Isam AbuAlArjah
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Yarmouk University, Irbid 211-63, Jordan
| | - Ejlal Abu-El-Rub
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Yarmouk University, Irbid 211-63, Jordan
| | - Lena Tahat
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Yarmouk University, Irbid 211-63, Jordan
| | - Ahmed Mnz Helaly
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Yarmouk University, Irbid 211-63, Jordan; Forensic Medicine and Clinical Toxicology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt
| | - Doaa S Ghorab
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Yarmouk University, Irbid 211-63, Jordan; Pathology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt
| | - Waseem El-Huneidi
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Sharjah, Sharjah 27272, the United Arab Emirates
| | - Raed M Al-Zoubi
- Surgical Research Section, Department of Surgery, Hamad Medical Corporation & Men's Health, Doha, Qatar; Department of Biomedical Sciences, QU-Health, College of Health Sciences, Qatar University, Doha 2713, Qatar; Department of Chemistry, Jordan University of Science and Technology, P.O.Box 3030, Irbid 22110, Jordan.
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Alzu’bi A, Zoubi MSA, Al-Trad B, AbuAlArjah MI, Shehab M, Alzoubi H, Albals D, Abdelhady GT, El-Huneidi W. Acute Hepatic Injury Associated with Acute Administration of Synthetic Cannabinoid XLR-11 in Mouse Animal Model. Toxics 2022; 10:668. [PMID: 36355959 PMCID: PMC9692363 DOI: 10.3390/toxics10110668] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2022] [Revised: 11/01/2022] [Accepted: 11/05/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
The widespread recreational use of synthetic cannabinoids (SCs) has become a serious health issue. Reports of life-threatening intoxications related to SC consumption have markedly increased in recent years, including neurotoxicity, cardiotoxicity, nephrotoxicity, and hepatotoxicity. We investigated the impact of acute administration of the synthetic cannabinoid XLR-11 (3 mg/kg, i.p. for 5 consecutive days) on the liver in BALB/c mouse animal model. Using real-time quantitative RT-PCR, MDA assay, and TUNEL assay, we found consistent up-regulation of a variety of genes involved in oxidative stress (NOX2, NOX4, and iNOS), inflammation (TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6), and apoptosis (Bax) in the liver of XLR-11 treated mice compared to control mice. These finding were supported with an elevation of MDA levels and TUNEL positive cells in the liver of XLR-11 treated mice which further confirm increased oxidative stress and apoptosis, respectively. Histopathological analysis of the liver of XLR-11 treated mice confirmed pronounced hepatic necrosis associated with inflammatory cell infiltration. Furthermore, elevated ALT and AST serum levels were also identified in XLR-11 treated mice indicating possible liver damage. Overall, SC-induced hepatotoxicity seems to be mainly mediated by activated oxidative stress and inflammatory processes in the liver, but the specific mechanisms involved require further investigations. However, the present study shed light on the potential deleterious role of acute administration of SCs in the progression to acute hepatic injury which enhances our understanding of the adverse effect of SC consumption.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ayman Alzu’bi
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Yarmouk University, Irbid 211-63, Jordan
| | - Mazhar Salim Al Zoubi
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Yarmouk University, Irbid 211-63, Jordan
| | - Bahaa Al-Trad
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Yarmouk University, Irbid 211-63, Jordan
| | - Manal Isam AbuAlArjah
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Yarmouk University, Irbid 211-63, Jordan
| | - Malek Shehab
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Yarmouk University, Irbid 211-63, Jordan
| | - Hiba Alzoubi
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Yarmouk University, Irbid 211-63, Jordan
| | - Dima Albals
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Yarmouk University, Irbid 211-63, Jordan
| | - Gamal T. Abdelhady
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Yarmouk University, Irbid 211-63, Jordan
- Department of Anatomy and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo 11566, Egypt
| | - Waseem El-Huneidi
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Sharjah, Sharjah 27272, United Arab Emirates
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