Abstract | INTRODUCTION: Non-medical use of prescription opioids such as the mu opioid receptor (MOP-r) agonist oxycodone is a growing problem in the USA and elsewhere. There is limited information about oxycodone's impact on diverse gene systems in the brain. OBJECTIVES: The current study was designed to examine how chronic oxycodone self-administration (SA) affects gene expression in the terminal areas of the nigrostriatal and mesolimbic dopaminergic pathways in mice. METHOD: Adult male C57BL/6J mice underwent a 14-day oxycodone self-administration procedure (4 h/day, 0.25 mg/kg/infusion, FR1) and were euthanized 1 h after the last session. The dorsal and ventral striata were dissected, and total RNAs were extracted. Gene expressions were examined using RNA sequencing. RESULT: We found that oxycodone self-administration exposure led to alterations of expression in numerous genes related to inflammation/immune functions in the dorsal striatum (54 upregulated genes and 1 downregulated gene) and ventral striatum (126 upregulated genes and 15 downregulated genes), with 38 upregulated genes identified in both brain regions. CONCLUSION: This study reveals novel neurobiological mechanisms underlying some of the effects of a commonly abused prescription opioid. We propose that inflammation/immune gene systems may undergo a major change during chronic self-administration of oxycodone.
|
Authors | Yong Zhang, Yupu Liang, Orna Levran, Matthew Randesi, Vadim Yuferov, Connie Zhao, Mary Jeanne Kreek |
Journal | Psychopharmacology
(Psychopharmacology (Berl))
Vol. 234
Issue 15
Pg. 2259-2275
(Aug 2017)
ISSN: 1432-2072 [Electronic] Germany |
PMID | 28653080
(Publication Type: Journal Article)
|
Chemical References |
- Analgesics, Opioid
- Inflammation Mediators
- Oxycodone
- Dopamine
|
Topics |
- Age Factors
- Analgesics, Opioid
(administration & dosage)
- Animals
- Dopamine
- Gene Expression
(drug effects, physiology)
- Inflammation
(genetics, immunology, metabolism)
- Inflammation Mediators
(immunology, metabolism)
- Male
- Mice
- Mice, Inbred C57BL
- Oxycodone
(administration & dosage)
- Self Administration
- Sequence Analysis, RNA
(methods)
- Ventral Striatum
(drug effects, immunology, metabolism)
|