Project description:The illicit use of synthetic opioids such as fentanyl has led to a serious public health crisis in the United States. People with opioid use disorder are more likely to contract infections such as HIV and viral hepatitis. While several drugs of abuse are known to enhance viral replication and to suppress immunologic responses, the effects of synthetic opioids on HIV pathogenesis have not been investigated thoroughly. Thus, we examined the impact of fentanyl on HIV-susceptible and HIV-infected cell types and chemokine receptor expression in vitro. TZM-bl and HIV-infected lymphocyte cells were incubated with fentanyl at concentrations of 1 ng, 100 ng, and 10 ug. Expression levels of the CXCR4 and CCR5 chemokine receptors were measured in cell lysates, and HIV p24 antigen was quantified in culture supernatants by ELISA. HIV proviral DNA was quantified in cells using SYBR RT-PCR targeting the pol gene. Cell viability in the presence of drug was detected by the MTT Cell Proliferation Assay. RNA-seq and miRNAseq was performed to characterize cellular gene regulation in the presence of fentanyl. Fentanyl enhanced expression of CXCR4 and CCR5 protein levels in a dose-dependent manner in HIV-susceptible and HIV-infected cells. Similarly, fentanyl induced viral expression in HIV-exposed TZM-bl cells and in multiple HIV-infected lymphocyte cell lines. Multiple genes associated with apoptosis, antiviral / interferon response, chemokine signaling, and NFκB signaling were differentially regulated by fentanyl. These data demonstrate that the synthetic opioid fentanyl impacts HIV replication and chemokine co-receptor expression in HIV-susceptible and HIV-infected cells. Increased virus levels also suggest that opioid use may increase the likelihood of transmission to others and accelerate disease progression.
Project description:The illicit use of synthetic opioids such as fentanyl has led to a serious public health crisis in the US. People with opioid use disorder are more likely to contract infections such as HIV and viral hepatitis and experience more severe disease. While several drugs of abuse are known to enhance viral replication and to suppress immunologic responses, the effects of synthetic opioids on HIV pathogenesis have not been investigated thoroughly. Thus, we examined the impact of fentanyl on macrophage cell line U937 and monocyte derived macrophage cells and chemokine receptor expression in vitro.
Project description:Fentanyl enhanced expression of CXCR4 and CCR5 protein levels and viral expression in a dose-dependent manner in multiple HIV-susceptible and HIV-infected cell lines. Multiple genes associated with apoptosis, antiviral / interferon response, chemokine. signaling, and NFκB signaling were differentially regulated by fentanyl. Thus fentanyl impacts HIV replication and chemokine co-receptor expression in HIV-susceptible and HIV-infected lymphocyte cell lines suggesting that opioid use may increase the likelihood of transmission to others and accelerate disease progression.
Project description:Background: Opioid withdrawal is a key driver of opioid addiction and an obstacle to recovery. However, withdrawal effects on opioid reinforcement and mesolimbic neuroadaptation are understudied and the role of sex is largely unknown. Methods: Male (n=13) and female (n=12) rats responded under a fentanyl-vs.-food “choice” procedure during daily 2h sessions. In addition to the daily choice sessions, rats were provided extended access to fentanyl during 12h self-administration sessions. After two weeks of this selfadministration regimen, the nucleus accumbens (NAc) and ventral tegmental area (VTA) of a subset of rats were subjected to RNA sequencing. In the remaining rats, a third week of this self-administration regimen was conducted, during which methadone effects on fentanyl-vs.-food choice were determined. Results: Prior to opioid dependence, male and female rats similarly allocated responding between fentanyl and food. Abstinence from extended fentanyl access elicited similar increases in somatic withdrawal signs in both sexes. Despite similar withdrawal signs and extended access fentanyl intake, opioid withdrawal was accompanied by a maladaptive increase in fentanyl choice in males, but not females. Behavioral sex differences corresponded with a greater number of differentially expressed genes in the NAc and VTA of opioidwithdrawn females relative to males. Methadone blocked withdrawal-associated increases in fentanyl choice in males, but failed to further decrease fentanyl choice in females. Conclusions: These results provide foundational evidence of sex-specific neuroadaptations to opioid withdrawal, which may be relevant to the female-specific resilience to withdrawal-associated increases in opioid choice and aid in the identification of novel therapeutic targets.
Project description:The rise in synthetic opioid use, particularly fentanyl, has severely exacerbated the opioid epidemic and its impact surged dramatically during the COVID-19 pandemic. Fentanyl, a prescription opioid used for anesthesia and analgesia, is 50-100x stronger than morphine. Opioid-induced cardiac arrest represents the most dramatic manifestation of the opioid use disorder. Fentanyl primarily targets opioid receptors (ORs) in the nervous system, but its misuse also adversely depresses the pulmonary and cardiovascular systems. The proarrhythmic effects of other opioids were reported; however, the electrophysiological consequences of fentanyl abuse have not been studied. Our analysis of 19 toxicology studies conducted between 1994 and 2022 found that the average blood concentration of fentanyl in abuse or overdose cases is 30±1 ng/mL (89 nM), ~3-fold higher than in chronic pain or ~7.5-fold higher than in occasionally exposed patients. Advances in human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technology provide unprecedented opportunities to study patient‐specific responses to opioid abuse. Human iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes (iPSC-CMs) from 3 healthy donors were exposed to three doses of 89 nM fentanyl for 5 days. Then, we investigated whether fentanyl abuse has any consequences on cardiac electrophysiology.
Project description:Opioid use during pregnancy is a growing public health concern, with in utero exposure to synthetic opioids like fentanyl linked to Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal Syndrome (NOWS) and long-term neurobehavioral impairments. However, the long-term neurodevelopmental consequences of in utero opioid exposure remain poorly understood. We developed a translationally relevant rat model of perinatal fentanyl exposure to investigate the behavioral and molecular outcomes of prenatal opioid exposure. Offspring born to fentanyl-exposed dams showed reduced survival rates, lower body weight, and spontaneous withdrawal symptoms. In adolescence, they displayed mechanical hypersensitivity and behaviors consistent with negative affect. In adulthood, these rats exhibited enhanced fentanyl self-administration, increased reinstatement behavior, and elevated plasma corticosterone levels during withdrawal. Furthermore, they showed increased risk-taking behavior in the Elevated Plus Maze, suggesting altered anxiety or impulsivity regulation. To investigate molecular correlates of these phenotypes, we performed transcriptomic profiling of the central amygdala of adult rats. Differential gene expression and gene set enrichment analyses revealed that perinatal fentanyl exposure led to dysregulation of pathways involved in synaptic signaling, neurodevelopment, GPCR signaling, and immune responses. These transcriptional changes provide a molecular framework for understanding how early fentanyl exposure leads to long-lasting vulnerability to stress and addiction-related behaviors. These findings underscore the lasting impact of perinatal opioid exposure on brain function and behavior and support the utility of this model for translational research on NOWS and opioid-related neuropsychiatric risk.
Project description:Opioid use disorder (OUD) is a public health crisis currently being exacerbated by increases in use of fentanyl; therefore, the identification of novel biomarkers and treatment strategies is critical. Here, we define how manipulations of the gut microbiome drive fentanyl intake, fentanyl seeking, and alter proteomic plasticity in the nucleus accumbens. These findings establish clear relevance for gut-brain signaling in OUD, and lay foundations for further translational work in this space.