Peripartum buprenorphine and oxycodone exposure impair maternal behavior and increase neuroinflammation in new mother rats.

ABSTRACT: 7 % of pregnant people use opioids. Opioid use during pregnancy can negatively impact maternal and offspring health. Medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD), commonly buprenorphine, are the recommended treatment for opioid use disorder during pregnancy to prevent cycles of withdrawal and relapse. In addition to effects on opioid receptors, opioids have strong binding affinity to toll-like receptor (TLR) 4, an immune cell receptor, and thereby impact neuroinflammatory signaling. We have previously shown that neuroimmune alterations are important for the display of maternal behavior. Here, we used a rodent model to assess the impact of chronic peripartum opioid exposure or MOUD on maternal caregiving and neuroinflammation in the postpartum brain. Female rats were exposed to vehicle (VEH),

SUBMITTER: Dye CN 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11793016 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature