Xylazine effects on opioid-induced brain hypoxia.

ABSTRACT:

Rationale

Xylazine has emerged in recent years as an adulterant in an increasing number of opioid-positive overdose deaths in the United States. Although its exact role in opioid-induced overdose deaths is largely unknown, xylazine is known to depress vital functions and cause hypotension, bradycardia, hypothermia, and respiratory depression.

Objectives

In this study, we examined the brain-specific hypothermic and hypoxic effects of xylazine and its mixtures with fentanyl and heroin in freely moving rats.

Results

In the temperature experiment, we found that intravenous xylazine at low, human-relevant doses (0.33, 1.0, 3.0 mg/kg) dose-dependently decreases locomotor activity and induces modest but prolonged brain and body hypothermia. In the electrochemical experiment,

SUBMITTER: Choi S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10775769 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature