Effectiveness and selectivity of a heroin conjugate vaccine to attenuate heroin, 6-acetylmorphine, and morphine antinociception in rats: Comparison with naltrexone.

ABSTRACT:

Background

One emerging strategy to address the opioid crisis includes opioid-targeted immunopharmacotherapies. This study compared effectiveness of a heroin-tetanus toxoid (TT) conjugate vaccine to antagonize heroin, 6-acetylmorphine (6-AM), morphine, and fentanyl antinociception in rats.

Methods

Adult male and female Sprague Dawley rats received three doses of active or control vaccine at weeks 0, 2, and 4. Vaccine pharmacological selectivity was assessed by comparing opioid dose-effect curves in 50 °C  warm-water tail-withdrawal procedure before and after active or control heroin-TT vaccine. Route of heroin administration [subcutaneous (SC) vs. intravenous [IV)] was also examined as a determinant of vaccine effectiveness. Continuous naltrexone treatment (0.0032-0.032 mg/k

SUBMITTER: Schwienteck KL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6878171 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature