Opioid withdrawal produces sex-specific effects on fentanyl-vs.-food choice and mesolimbic transcription
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PROVIDER: PRJNA727608 | ENA |
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Project description:Background: Opioid withdrawal is a key driver of opioid addiction and an obstacle to recovery. However, withdrawal effects on opioid reinforcement and mesolimbic neuroadaptation are understudied and the role of sex is largely unknown. Methods: Male (n=13) and female (n=12) rats responded under a fentanyl-vs.-food “choice” procedure during daily 2h sessions. In addition to the daily choice sessions, rats were provided extended access to fentanyl during 12h self-administration sessions. After two weeks of this selfadministration regimen, the nucleus accumbens (NAc) and ventral tegmental area (VTA) of a subset of rats were subjected to RNA sequencing. In the remaining rats, a third week of this self-administration regimen was conducted, during which methadone effects on fentanyl-vs.-food choice were determined. Results: Prior to opioid dependence, male and female rats similarly allocated responding between fentanyl and food. Abstinence from extended fentanyl access elicited similar increases in somatic withdrawal signs in both sexes. Despite similar withdrawal signs and extended access fentanyl intake, opioid withdrawal was accompanied by a maladaptive increase in fentanyl choice in males, but not females. Behavioral sex differences corresponded with a greater number of differentially expressed genes in the NAc and VTA of opioidwithdrawn females relative to males. Methadone blocked withdrawal-associated increases in fentanyl choice in males, but failed to further decrease fentanyl choice in females. Conclusions: These results provide foundational evidence of sex-specific neuroadaptations to opioid withdrawal, which may be relevant to the female-specific resilience to withdrawal-associated increases in opioid choice and aid in the identification of novel therapeutic targets.
2021-05-06 | GSE173959 | GEO
Project description:BackgroundOpioid withdrawal is a key driver of opioid addiction and an obstacle to recovery. However, withdrawal effects on opioid reinforcement and mesolimbic neuroadaptation are understudied and the role of sex is largely unknown.MethodsMale (n=13) and female (n=12) rats responded under a fentanyl-vs.-food "choice" procedure during daily 2h sessions. In addition to the daily choice sessions, rats were provided extended access to fentanyl during 12h self-administration sessions. After two weeks of this self-administration regimen, the nucleus accumbens (NAc) and ventral tegmental area (VTA) of a subset of rats were subjected to RNA sequencing. In the remaining rats, a third week of this self-administration regimen was conducted, during which methadone effects on fentanyl-vs.-food choice were determined.ResultsPrior to opioid dependence, male and female rats similarly allocated responding between fentanyl and food. Abstinence from extended fentanyl access elicited similar increases in somatic withdrawal signs in both sexes. Despite similar withdrawal signs and extended access fentanyl intake, opioid withdrawal was accompanied by a maladaptive increase in fentanyl choice in males, but not females. Behavioral sex differences corresponded with a greater number of differentially expressed genes in the NAc and VTA of opioid-withdrawn females relative to males. Methadone blocked withdrawal-associated increases in fentanyl choice in males, but failed to further decrease fentanyl choice in females.ConclusionsThese results provide foundational evidence of sex-specific neuroadaptations to opioid withdrawal, which may be relevant to the female-specific resilience to withdrawal-associated increases in opioid choice and aid in the identification of novel therapeutic targets.
| S-EPMC8389189 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Opioid use during pregnancy can lead to negative infant health outcomes, including neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome (NOWS). NOWS comprises gastrointestinal, autonomic nervous system, and neurological dysfunction that manifest during spontaneous withdrawal. Current treatments involve non-pharmacological and pharmacological interventions, however, there is no one standardized approach, in part because of variability in NOWS severity. To effectively model NOWS traits in mice, we used a third trimester-approximate opioid exposure paradigm, where neonatal inbred FVB/NJ and outbred Carworth Farms White (CFW) pups were injected twice-daily with morphine (10-15 mg/kg, s.c.) or saline (0.9%, 20 ul/g, s.c.) from postnatal day (P) one to P14. We observed reduced body weight gain, hypothermia, thermal hyperalgesia, and increased ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs). Neonatal USVs are emitted exclusively in isolation to communicate distress and thus serve as a model behavior for affective states. On P14, we observed altered USV syllable profiles during spontaneous morphine withdrawal, including an increase in Complex 3 syllables in FVB/NJ females (but not males) and in CFW mice of both sexes. Brainstem transcriptomics revealed an upregulation of the kappa opioid receptor (Oprk1), whose activation has previously been shown to contribute to withdrawal-induced dysphoria. Treatment with the kappa opioid receptor (KOR) antagonist, nor-BNI (30 mg/kg, s.c.), significantly reduced USV emission in FVB/NJ females, but not FVB/NJ males during spontaneous morphine withdrawal. Furthermore, treatment with the KOR agonist, U50,488h (0.625 mg/kg, s.c.), was sufficient to increase USV emission on P10 (both sexes) and on P14 (females only) in FVB/NJ mice. Together, these results indicate a female-specific recruitment of the dynorphin/KOR system in neonatal opioid withdrawal symptom severity.
2024-07-09 | GSE271337 | GEO
Project description:The development of substance use disorder (SUD) is a complex process involving multiple neurocircuitries and brain regions. The amygdala is a region that mediates the withdrawal effect as well as anxiety and depression-like behaviors. However, the transcriptional changes in each cell type during SUD is largely unknown. Here we performed single-cell RNA sequencing and classified all cell types in the mouse amygdala under opioid dependence and withdrawal states. Our data revealed distinct changes in key biological processes, such as immune response, inflammation, synaptic transmission, and mitochondrial respiration in different cell populations. Dramatic differences were unraveled in the transcriptional profiles between dependence and withdrawal states. This report is the first single-cell RNA sequencing dataset from the amygdala under opioid dependence and withdrawal conditions, providing unique insights in understanding brain alterations during SUD, especially at the molecular and cellular levels.
2023-11-08 | GSE207128 | GEO
Project description:The Opioid Use Disorder epidemic led to an increase in cases of Nenonatal Opioid Withdrawal Syndrome (NOWS) in infants born to opioid-dependent mothers. Hallmark features include weight loss, irritability, inconsolability, insomnia, and increased pain sensitivity. The neurobiological basis of NOWS is largely unknown. Improved mouse models will facilitate mechanistic and treatment discovery. We treated neonatal outbred Cartworth Farms White (CFW) mice (Swiss Webster) with morphine sulfate (15 mg/kg, s.c.) twice daily on postnatal day (P)1 through P14, the approximate third trimester-equivalent of human gestation. Weight loss was monitored and behavioral symptoms were measured on P7 and P14 at 16 h post-morphine. Brainstem containing pons and medulla was collected on P14 and processed for transcriptome analysis via mRNA sequencing (RNA-seq). Morphine induced weight loss from P2 to P14 that remained at P21 and P50. Repeated morphine also induced a delayed self-righting latency at P4 and a persistent, female-specific delay at P14. Morphine-treated females also showed an earlier increase in ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) on P7. Both morphine-treated sexes showed a large increase in USVs on P14. Furthermore, thermal nociception via hot plate and tail withdrawal assays indicated that mice exhibited thermal hyperalgesia on P7 and P14, with females showing greater hyperalgesia (tail withdrawal) on P7. Morphine-treated mice also exhibited anxiety-like behavior at P21 (open field). Finally, brainstem transcriptome analysis identified a canonical gene set relevant to opioid signaling in males and a distinct gene set in females that was enriched for ribosomal proteins, mitochondrial function and neurodegenerative disorders. Sex-specific transcriptomic neuroadaptations implicate sex-specific treatments.
2019-11-27 | GSE141066 | GEO
Project description:The current opioid crisis remains a significant public health issue and there is a critical need for biomedical research to develop effective and easily deployable candidate treatments. One emerging treatment strategy for opioid use disorder includes immunopharmacotherapies or opioid-targeted vaccines. The present study determined the effectiveness of a fentanyl-tetanus toxoid conjugate vaccine to alter fentanyl self-administration using a fentanyl-vs.-food choice procedure in male and female rats under three experimental conditions. For comparison, continuous 7-day naltrexone (0.01-0.1?mg/kg/h) and 7-day clonidine (3.2-10??g/kg/h) treatment effects were also determined on fentanyl-vs.-food choice. Male and female rats responded for concurrently available 18% diluted Ensure® (liquid food) and fentanyl (0-10??g/kg/infusion) infusions during daily sessions. Under baseline and saline treatment conditions, fentanyl maintained a dose-dependent increase in fentanyl-vs.-food choice. First, fentanyl vaccine administration significantly blunted fentanyl reinforcement and increased food reinforcement for 15 weeks in non-opioid dependent rats. Second, surmountability experiments by increasing the unit fentanyl dose available during the self-administration session 10-fold empirically determined that the fentanyl vaccine produced an approximate 22-fold potency shift in fentanyl-vs.-food choice that was as effective as the clinically approved treatment naltrexone. Clonidine treatment significantly increased fentanyl-vs.-food choice. Lastly, fentanyl vaccine administration prevented the expression of withdrawal-associated increases in fentanyl-vs.-food choice following introduction of extended 12?h fentanyl access sessions. Overall, these results support the potential and further consideration of immunopharmacotherapies as candidate treatments to address the current opioid crisis.
| S-EPMC6784909 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Prenatal opioid exposure is a major health concern in the United States, with the incidence of neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome (NOWS) escalating in recent years. NOWS is revealed upon cessation of in utero opioid exposure and is characterized by increased irritability, disrupted sleep patterns, high-pitched crying, and erratic feeding. The main pharmacological treatment strategy for alleviating symptoms is opioid maintenance therapy. The neural mechanisms mediating NOWS and the long-term neurobehavioral effects are poorly understood. We used a third trimester-approximate model in which neonatal outbred pups (Cartworth Farms White; CFW) were administered once-daily morphine (15 mg/kg, s.c.) from postnatal day (P) day 1 through P14 and were then assessed for behavioral and transcriptomic adaptations within the nucleus accumbens (NAc) on P15. We also investigated the long-term effects of perinatal morphine exposure on adult learning and reward sensitivity. We observed significant weight deficits, spontaneous thermal hyperalgesia, and altered ultrasonic vocalization (USV) profiles following repeated morphine and during spontaneous withdrawal. Transcriptome analysis of NAc from opioid-withdrawn P15 neonates via bulk mRNA sequencing identified an enrichment profile consistent with downregulation of myelin-associated transcripts. Despite the neonatal behavioral and molecular effects, there were no significant long-term effects of perinatal morphine exposure on adult spatial memory function in the Barnes Maze, emotional learning in fear conditioning, or in baseline or methamphetamine-potentiated reward sensitivity as measured via intracranial self-stimulation. Thus, the once daily third trimester-approximate exposure regimen, while inducing NOWS model traits and significant transcriptomic effects in neonates, had no significant long-term effects on adult behaviors.
2023-08-03 | GSE239919 | GEO
Project description:The development of physical dependence and addiction disorders due to misuse of opioid analgesics is a major concern with pain therapeutics. In this study, we developed a mouse model of oxycodone exposure to gain insight into genes and molecular pathways in reward-related brain regions that are affected by prolonged exposure to oxycodone and subsequent withdrawal in the presence or absence of chronic neuropathic pain. RNA-Sequencing (RNA-Seq) and bioinformatic analyses revealed that oxycodone withdrawal alone triggers robust gene expression adaptations in the nucleus accumbens (NAc), medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), and ventral tegmental area (VTA), with numerous genes and pathways selectively affected by oxycodone withdrawal under peripheral nerve injury states. Our pathway analysis predicted that histone deacetylase 1 (HDAC1), an epigenetic modifier with a prominent role in striatal plasticity, is a top upstream regulator in opioid withdrawal in both the NAc and mPFC. Indeed, treatment with the novel HDAC1/2 inhibitor RBC1HI (Regenacy Brain Class 1 HDAC Inhibitor) attenuated behavioral manifestations of oxycodone withdrawal, with the drug being more efficacious under states of neuropathic pain. Since RBC1HI displays antiallodynic actions in models of neuropathic pain, inhibition of HDAC1/2 may provide an avenue for chronic pain patients dependent on opioids to transition to non-opioid analgesics. Overall, our study highlights transcriptomic events in components of the reward circuitry associated with oxycodone withdrawal under pain-free and prolonged neuropathic pain states, thereby providing information on possible new targets for the treatment of physical dependence to opioids and transitioning individuals to non-opioid medications for chronic pain management.
2023-01-23 | GSE223541 | GEO
Project description:Understanding the impact of long-term opioid exposure on the embryonic brain is critical due to the surging number of pregnant mothers with opioid dependency, but has been limited by human brain inaccessibility and cross-species differences in animal models. Here we establish a human midbrain model that uses hiPSC-derived midbrain organoids and apply it to assess cell-type-specific responses to acute and chronic fentanyl treatment and fentanyl withdrawal. Single-cell mRNA sequencing of 25,510 cells from organoids in different treatment groups indicated that chronic fentanyl treatment arrests neuronal subtype specification during early midbrain development and alters synaptic activity and neuron projection. In contrast, acute fentanyl treatment increases dopamine release but does not significantly alter gene expression related to cell lineage development. These results provide the first examination of the effects of opioid exposure on human midbrain development at the single cell level.
2024-03-05 | GSE260711 | GEO
Project description:Clinical evidence suggest that men are more sensitive than women to the abuse-related effects of mu-opioid agonists. In contrast, preclinical studies suggest the opposite sex difference. The aim of the present study was to clarify this discrepancy using a fentanyl vs. diluted Ensure® choice procedure to assess sex differences in opioid reinforcement. Sex differences in intravenous (IV) fentanyl self-administration were examined under a fixed-ratio (FR5) schedule, a multi-day progressive-ratio (PR) schedule for behavioral economic analysis, and a concurrent (choice) schedule of fentanyl and diluted Ensure® reinforcement in Sprague-Dawley male and female rats. The fentanyl dose-effect function under the FR5 schedule was significantly shifted upward in females compared to males. Similarly, the reinforcing effectiveness of both fentanyl (3.2 and 10 µg/kg per injection, IV) and diluted Ensure® (18 and 56%) were greater in females than in males as assessed using behavioral economic analysis, irrespective of dose or concentration. However, under a fentanyl vs. foodchoice procedure, males chose 3.2 µg/kg per injection fentanyl injections over 18%, but not 56%, diluted Ensure® at a higher percentage compared to females. Overall, these results suggest that the expression of sex differences in opioid reinforcement depends upon the schedule of reinforcement and that preclinical opioid vs. food choice procedures provide a translationally relevant measure (i.e., behavioral allocation) consistent with the direction of sex differences reported in the clinical literature.
| S-EPMC6898628 | biostudies-literature