A Novel Morphine Drinking Model of Opioid Dependence in Rats.

ABSTRACT: An animal model of voluntary oral morphine consumption would allow for a pre-clinical evaluation of new treatments aimed at reducing opioid intake in humans. However, the main limitation of oral morphine consumption in rodents is its bitter taste, which is strongly aversive. Taste aversion is often overcome by the use of adulterants, such as sweeteners, to conceal morphine taste or bitterants in the alternative bottle to equalize aversion. However, the adulterants' presence is the cause for consumption choice and, upon removal, the preference for morphine is not preserved. Thus, current animal models are not suitable to study treatments aimed at reducing consumption elicited by morphine itself. Since taste preference is a learned behavior, just-weaned rats were trained to accept a bitter t

SUBMITTER: Berrios-Carcamo P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8999131 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature