Postnatal oxytocin treatment improves survival and neurodevelopmental outcomes in an animal model of neonatal abstinence syndrome
Prenatal exposure to drugs of abuse results in neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS). NAS causes significant morbidity and is associated with costly and lengthy hospitalization. Current pharmacotherapy is suboptimal with no FDA approved treatments. We examined the effect of postnatal oxytocin treatment...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2022-08-01
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| Series: | Comprehensive Psychoneuroendocrinology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666497622000340 |
| _version_ | 1818010956941230080 |
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| author | Dean S. Carson Simon J. Arnold Emily R.T. Carson Conrado Pascual Xinmin (Simon) Xie |
| author_facet | Dean S. Carson Simon J. Arnold Emily R.T. Carson Conrado Pascual Xinmin (Simon) Xie |
| author_sort | Dean S. Carson |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Prenatal exposure to drugs of abuse results in neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS). NAS causes significant morbidity and is associated with costly and lengthy hospitalization. Current pharmacotherapy is suboptimal with no FDA approved treatments. We examined the effect of postnatal oxytocin treatment on survival and neurodevelopmental outcomes in rats prenatally exposed to opioids or benzodiazepines. Sprague-Dawley rat dams were injected with escalating doses of morphine (10–50 mg/kg/day) or diazepam (2–15 mg/kg/day) throughout gestation. In an initial experiment, exposed rat pups received subcutaneous injections of 2 mg/kg oxytocin or saline for the first 10 postnatal days and survival rates were assessed. In a second experiment, exposed rat pups received subcutaneous injections of 0.3, 1, or 2 mg/kg oxytocin or saline for the first 10 postnatal days and survival and body weight were assessed for 30 days. In animals surviving through adolescence, neurodevelopmental outcomes and biological parameters (blood glucose, corticosterone, aldosterone) were also measured. Postnatal oxytocin treatment improved survival in animals prenatally exposed to morphine or diazepam. Preliminary evidence showed that postnatal oxytocin treatment improves long-term learning and memory processes in animals prenatally exposed to morphine or diazepam. These findings highlight the potential of oxytocin as a novel treatment for NAS resulting from prenatal exposure to opioids or benzodiazepines. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-14T06:02:15Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-fb1e39e314c44667a88275c541c954fe |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2666-4976 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-14T06:02:15Z |
| publishDate | 2022-08-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Comprehensive Psychoneuroendocrinology |
| spelling | doaj.art-fb1e39e314c44667a88275c541c954fe2022-12-22T02:08:44ZengElsevierComprehensive Psychoneuroendocrinology2666-49762022-08-0111100143Postnatal oxytocin treatment improves survival and neurodevelopmental outcomes in an animal model of neonatal abstinence syndromeDean S. Carson0Simon J. Arnold1Emily R.T. Carson2Conrado Pascual3Xinmin (Simon) Xie4Katana Pharmaceuticals Inc. San Francisco, California, 94103, USA; Corresponding author. Katana Pharmaceuticals Inc, 350 Rhode Island St, Suite 240, San Francisco, CA, 94103, USA.Queensland Health, Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Queensland, 4510, AustraliaBoston College, The Connell School of Nursing, Chestnut Hill, MA, 02467, USAAfaSci Research Laboratories, AfaSci Inc., Redwood City, CA, 94063, USAAfaSci Research Laboratories, AfaSci Inc., Redwood City, CA, 94063, USAPrenatal exposure to drugs of abuse results in neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS). NAS causes significant morbidity and is associated with costly and lengthy hospitalization. Current pharmacotherapy is suboptimal with no FDA approved treatments. We examined the effect of postnatal oxytocin treatment on survival and neurodevelopmental outcomes in rats prenatally exposed to opioids or benzodiazepines. Sprague-Dawley rat dams were injected with escalating doses of morphine (10–50 mg/kg/day) or diazepam (2–15 mg/kg/day) throughout gestation. In an initial experiment, exposed rat pups received subcutaneous injections of 2 mg/kg oxytocin or saline for the first 10 postnatal days and survival rates were assessed. In a second experiment, exposed rat pups received subcutaneous injections of 0.3, 1, or 2 mg/kg oxytocin or saline for the first 10 postnatal days and survival and body weight were assessed for 30 days. In animals surviving through adolescence, neurodevelopmental outcomes and biological parameters (blood glucose, corticosterone, aldosterone) were also measured. Postnatal oxytocin treatment improved survival in animals prenatally exposed to morphine or diazepam. Preliminary evidence showed that postnatal oxytocin treatment improves long-term learning and memory processes in animals prenatally exposed to morphine or diazepam. These findings highlight the potential of oxytocin as a novel treatment for NAS resulting from prenatal exposure to opioids or benzodiazepines.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666497622000340OxytocinNeonatal abstinence syndromeWithdrawalOpioidsBenzodiazepinesSurvival |
| spellingShingle | Dean S. Carson Simon J. Arnold Emily R.T. Carson Conrado Pascual Xinmin (Simon) Xie Postnatal oxytocin treatment improves survival and neurodevelopmental outcomes in an animal model of neonatal abstinence syndrome Comprehensive Psychoneuroendocrinology Oxytocin Neonatal abstinence syndrome Withdrawal Opioids Benzodiazepines Survival |
| title | Postnatal oxytocin treatment improves survival and neurodevelopmental outcomes in an animal model of neonatal abstinence syndrome |
| title_full | Postnatal oxytocin treatment improves survival and neurodevelopmental outcomes in an animal model of neonatal abstinence syndrome |
| title_fullStr | Postnatal oxytocin treatment improves survival and neurodevelopmental outcomes in an animal model of neonatal abstinence syndrome |
| title_full_unstemmed | Postnatal oxytocin treatment improves survival and neurodevelopmental outcomes in an animal model of neonatal abstinence syndrome |
| title_short | Postnatal oxytocin treatment improves survival and neurodevelopmental outcomes in an animal model of neonatal abstinence syndrome |
| title_sort | postnatal oxytocin treatment improves survival and neurodevelopmental outcomes in an animal model of neonatal abstinence syndrome |
| topic | Oxytocin Neonatal abstinence syndrome Withdrawal Opioids Benzodiazepines Survival |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666497622000340 |
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