Fentanyl exposure during preconception and gestation permanently dysregulates endogenous opioid peptides and sympathoadrenal-medullary axis in the offspring.

ABSTRACT: In the United States, the alarming increase in opioid use disorder diagnoses during pregnancy in the last decade has increased the incidence of neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome (NOWS). Although 8 per 1,000 newborns are diagnosed with NOWS each year, the lack of prospective studies is a roadblock in the development of approaches to reduce adverse health outcomes in this vulnerable population. This study used a preclinical model to assess short- and long-term effects of preconceptional and gestational fentanyl (FEN) exposure on morphometrics, hormonal plasma profile, and sensitivity to opioid re-exposure in the offspring. Sprague Dawley female rats self-administered FEN citrate [fixed-ratio 1 (FR1), 2.5 μg/kg] or vehicle (NaCl 0.9%) during preconception and until gestational day 21. In ut

SUBMITTER: Ahmed N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12751060 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature