scholarly journals A vapor exposure method for delivering heroin alters nociception, body temperature and spontaneous activity in female and male rats

Author(s):  
Arnold Gutierrez ◽  
Kevin M. Creehan ◽  
Michael A. Taffe

AbstractBackgroundThe ongoing crisis related to non-medical use of opioids makes it of continued importance to understand the risk factors for opioid addiction, the behavioral and neurobiological consequences of opioid exposure and to seek potential avenues for therapy. Pre-clinical rodent models have been critical to advancing understanding of opioid consequences for decades, but have been mostly limited to drug delivery by injection or by oral dosing. Inhalation, a significant route for many human users, has not been as well-established.MethodWe adapted an e-cigarette based exposure system, previously shown efficacious for delivery of other drugs to rats, to deliver heroin vapor. Effects in vivo were assessed in male and female Sprague-Dawley rats using a warm-water assay for anti-nociception and an implanted radiotelemetry system for evaluating changes in body temperature and spontaneous activity rate.ResultsInhalation of vapor created by heroin 100 mg/mL in the propylene glycol (PG) vehicle significantly slowed tail-withdrawal from a 52°C water bath, bi-phasically altered activity, and increased temperature in male and female rats. Inhalation of heroin 50 mg/mL for 15 minutes produced significant effects, as the lower bound on efficacy, whereas inhalation of heroin 100 mg/mL for 30 minutes produced robust effects across all endpoints and groups.ConclusionsThis work shows that e-cigarette devices deliver psychoactive doses of heroin to rats, using concentrations of ∼50-100 mg/mL and inhalation durations of 15-30 minutes. This technique may be useful to assess the health consequences of inhaled heroin and other opioid drugs.

Author(s):  
Sylvia E West ◽  
Jonathan C Lee ◽  
Tinika N Johns ◽  
Elizabeth A Nunamaker

Due to their unpredictability and variable effects, injectable anesthetic regimens in laboratory rodent species warrant refinement. In our study we sought to evaluate alfaxalone, which has gained recent popularity in veterinary medicine, alone and in combination with dexmedetomidine to evaluate their anesthetic ability in Sprague–Dawley rats when administered intraperitoneally. Three doses of alfaxalone only and 4 dose combinations of alfaxalone-dexmedetomidine were tested in males and female rats. The time to induction, anesthetic duration, pulse rate, respiratory rate, temperature, and time to recovery were recorded by a blind observer. The level of anesthesia induced by the various anesthetic protocols was assessed by using pedal withdrawal reflex to a noxious stimulus and scored according to the response. Dependent on the treatment group, atipamezole or saline was administered intraperitoneally once animals reached 60 min of anesthesia. Regardless of the dose, alfaxalone alone achieved only a sedative level of anesthesia, whereas all alfaxalone-dexmedetomidine combinations led to a surgical level of anesthesia in all animals. Anesthesia regimens using alfaxalone alone and in combination with dexmedetomidine demonstrated sex-associated differences, with female rats maintaining longer durations of sedation or anesthesia than their male counterparts. Both male and female rats displayed decreases in physiologic parameters consistent with the effects of dexmedetomidine. Given the results described herein, we recommend 20 mg/kg alfaxalone for sedation and 30 mg/kg alfaxalone combined with 0.05 mg/kg dexmedetomidine for surgical anesthesia in female rats. Appropriate doses of alfaxalone only and alfaxalone-dexmedetomidine for male rats were not determined in this study and need further evaluation.


Hypertension ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 60 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Brandon A Kemp ◽  
Nancy L Howell ◽  
Robert M Carey

Endogenous renal des-aspartyl 1 -angiotensin II (angiotensin III) activates renal proximal tubule AT 2 receptors (AT 2 Rs) and induces natriuresis via a nitric oxide-cyclic GMP signaling pathway. The present study explores the ability of highly selective non-peptide AT 2 R agonist Compound 21 (C21) to induce natriuresis. Sprague-Dawley rats (12 weeks old; male N=22; female N=18) were studied in the presence and absence of concurrent 24-h AT 1 R blockade with candesartan (CAND;0.01 mg/kg/min). Rats were anesthetized with Inactin 100 mg/kg i.p., uninephrectomized and instrumented for delivery of 3 cumulative 30-min i.v. infusions of C21 (100, 200, and 300 ng/kg/min) following a 30-min control infusion of vehicle. Mean arterial pressure (MAP) was measured for all periods and urine Na + excretion rate (U Na V) was calculated for the control and final C21 collection periods. To determine whether the systemically induced natriuresis is mediated by renal AT 2 Rs, PD-123319 (PD), a specific AT 2 R antagonist, was infused directly into the renal cortical interstitium(20 μg/kg/min and 10 μg/kg/min for females and males, respectively) during the i.v. C21 infusions. In female rats, C21 increased U Na V from 1.5 ± 0.20 to 7.48 ± 0.95 μmol/min (P<0.0001). This response was abrogated by concurrent intrarenal PD infusion [control 0.74 ± 0.19 vs. C21 2.02 ± 0.50 μmol/min (P<0.001from C21 alone). Systemic CAND administration augmented the natriuretic response to C21 [control 1.29 ± 0.25 vs. C21 10.68 ± 0.70 μmol/min (P<0.05 from C21 alone)]. In male rats, C21 increased U Na V from 0.46 ±0.08 to 6.21 ± 1.33 μmol/min (P<0.01). This response was blocked by concurrent intrarenal PD infusion [control 0.39 ± 0.11 vs. C21 1.69 ± 0.53 μmol/min (P<0.05 from C21 alone). Systemic CAND did not significantly alter the natriuretic response to C21 alone [control 0.49 ± 0.15 vs. C21 7.67 ± 0.72 μmol/min (P = NS from C21 alone). In female rats, CAND augmented the natriuretic response to C21 over that of male rats (P<0.01). Systemic arterial pressures were decreased by CAND in both male and female rats but were unchanged by C21 alone or together with intrarenal PD. C21 induces natriuresis via renal AT 2 R activation in both male and female rats. These data suggest the potential for AT 2 R agonist therapy in hypertension.


1992 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 145-151 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. E. Gunson ◽  
P. S. Sahota ◽  
W. O. Iverson ◽  
R. Y. Chau ◽  
G. M. McCormick ◽  
...  

Male and female Sprague-Dawley rats were given CGS 21595, a pro-drug that is almost immediately metabolized to CGS 19213, a naphthoquinone that acts as a 5-lipoxygenase inhibitor. The compound was administered by gavage to five groups of Sprague-Dawley rats (group Nos. 1, 5, n = 30; group Nos. 2–4, n = 20) at daily doses of 0, 50, 150, 500, or 1,000 mg/kg for 13 weeks. Rats in the higher dose groups had a reduced weight gain, but significant neurologic signs were not observed. A peripheral neuropathy consisting predominantly of myelin destruction in the spinal nerve roots and sciatic nerves was seen in male rats treated with ≥ 150 mg/kg CGS 21595 and in female rats treated with ≥50 mg/kg CGS 21595 for 13 weeks. This lesion was not fully reversible after a recovery period of 4 weeks. Lesions consisted of ballooning of myelin sheaths, infiltration by macrophages, demyelination, and occasional areas of remyelination. Axons were generally preserved, and the brain and spinal cord were not affected. Male and female rats in all treatment groups had cytoplasmic hyaline droplets in the proximal renal tubules. This change was reversible after 4 weeks and was not associated with any other adverse effects on the kidney.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
SG Quadir ◽  
GM Arleth ◽  
JV Jahad ◽  
M Echeveste Sanchez ◽  
MA Herman

ABSTRACTAlcohol use disorders (AUDs) are a major problem across the United States. While AUD remains a complex human condition, it is difficult to isolate the directionality of anxiety and ethanol (EtOH) drinking from outside influences. The present study sought to investigate the relationship between affective states and EtOH intake using male and female Sprague Dawley rats. Using complementary tests of anxiety- and depressive-like behavior, we found sex- and test-specific differences in basal affective behavior such that females displayed enhanced anxiety-like behavior in the Splash Test and males displayed enhanced anxiety-like behavior in the Novelty Suppressed Feeding Test. Although there were no sex differences in EtOH intake and no correlation between anxiety-like behavior and subsequent EtOH intake, we did find that depressive-like behavior predicted future EtOH intake in females rats only. In addition, we observed an increase in depressive-like behavior is male rats in both the water and EtOH drinking groups. Furthermore, anxiety-like behavior, but not depressive-like behavior predicted subsequent EtOH intake in female rats. Lastly, we found a history of EtOH intake decreased pain thresholds in male and female rats. Together, these experiments provide important information on the complex interaction between negative affect and alcohol intake and how these two contexts reciprocally do, or do not, influence each other in a sex-specific manner.


2014 ◽  
Vol 307 (4) ◽  
pp. H504-H514 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Tarhouni ◽  
M. L. Freidja ◽  
A. L. Guihot ◽  
E. Vessieres ◽  
L. Grimaud ◽  
...  

In resistance arteries, a chronic increase in blood flow induces hypertrophic outward remodeling. This flow-mediated remodeling (FMR) is absent in male rats aged 10 mo and more. As FMR depends on estrogens in 3-mo-old female rats, we hypothesized that it might be preserved in 12-mo-old female rats. Blood flow was increased in vivo in mesenteric resistance arteries after ligation of the side arteries in 3- and 12-mo-old male and female rats. After 2 wk, high-flow (HF) and normal-flow (NF) arteries were isolated for in vitro analysis. Arterial diameter and cross-sectional area increased in HF arteries compared with NF arteries in 3-mo-old male and female rats. In 12-mo-old rats, diameter increased only in female rats. Endothelial nitric oxide synthase expression and endothelium-mediated relaxation were higher in HF arteries than in NF arteries in all groups. ERK1/2 phosphorylation, NADPH oxidase subunit expression levels, and arterial contractility to KCl and to phenylephrine were greater in HF vessels than in NF vessels in 12-mo-old male rats only. Ovariectomy in 12-mo-old female rats induced a similar pattern with an increased contractility without diameter increase in HF arteries. Treatment of 12-mo-old male rats and ovariectomized female rats with hydralazine, the antioxidant tempol, or the angiotensin II type 1 receptor blocker candesartan restored HF remodeling and normalized arterial contractility in HF vessels. Thus, we found that FMR of resistance arteries remains efficient in 12-mo-old female rats compared with age-matched male rats. A balance between estrogens and vascular contractility might preserve FMR in mature female rats.


2010 ◽  
Vol 2010 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sang Hyun Park ◽  
Kannampalli Pradeep

The main objective of this investigation was to determine the absorption, distribution, excretion, and pharmacokinetics of the antimalarial drug pyronaridine tetraphosphate (PNDP) in Sprague-Dawley rats. Following oral administration of a single dose (10 mg/Kg) ofC-PNDP, it was observed that the drug was readily absorbed from the small intestine within 1 hour following oral administration and was widely distributed in most of the tissues investigated as determined from the observed radioactivity in the tissues. The peak value of the drug in the blood was reached at around 8 hours postadministration, and radioactivity was detected in most of the tissues from 4 hours onwards.C-PNDP showed a poor permeability across the blood-brain barrier, and the absorption, distribution, and excretion ofC-PNDP were found to be gender-independent as both male and female rats showed a similar pattern of radioactivity. Excretion of the drug was predominantly through the urine with a peak excretion post 24 hours of administration. A small amount of the drug was also excreted in the feces and also in the breath. It was found that theCmax, AUC (0-inf), andTmaxvalues were similar to those observed in the Phase II clinical trials of pyronaridine/artesunate (Pyramax) conducted in Uganda.


1991 ◽  
Vol 71 (3) ◽  
pp. 1005-1014 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. R. Woodman ◽  
C. S. Stump ◽  
J. A. Stump ◽  
L. A. Sebastian ◽  
Z. Rahman ◽  
...  

Maximum oxygen consumption (VO2max) has been shown to be reduced after periods of simulated weightlessness. To assess the role of the sympathetic nervous system in these reductions, Sprague-Dawley rats were either chemically sympathectomized (SYMX) or injected with saline (SHAM) and assigned to head-down suspension (HDS), horizontal restraint with the hindlimbs weight bearing (HWB), or cage-control (CC) conditions. VO2max, run time (RT), and mechanical efficiency (ME) were measured before suspension and on days 7 and 14. Male and female SHAM HDS groups exhibited reduced measures of VO2max (12–13%) after 7 and 14 days, and this decrease was attenuated in the SYMX and HWB rats. HDS resulted in a significant reduction in RT (9–15%) in both the male and female rats, and ME was significantly reduced after HDS in male and female SYMX and male SHAM rats (23–33%) but not in the female SHAM rats. Lesser reductions in ME were observed in the HWB rats. HDS and HWB were associated with lower body, fat-free, and fat masses, which were similar in male and female rats as well as for the SHAM and SYMX conditions. In a related HDS experiment with normal rats, plasma norepinephrine and epinephrine were increased by 53 and 42% after 7 days, but only epinephrine returned to baseline after 14 days. It was concluded that chemical sympathectomy and/or a weight-bearing stimulus will attenuate the loss in VO2max associated with simulated weightlessness in rats despite similar changes in body mass and composition. The mechanism(s) remains unclear at this time.


1999 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 106-110
Author(s):  
Livia Secondin ◽  
Stefano Maso ◽  
Andrea Trevisan

1 Nephrotoxic effects of 1,3-dichloropropene (cis and trans isomers mixture) was investigated in vitro by means of renal cortical slice model in male and female rats, including treatment with metabolism modifiers as an inducer of cytochrome P-450 1A class (β-naphtho-flavone), a reduced glutathione depleting (DL-buthio-nine-[S, R]-sulfoximine), an inhibitor of g-glutamyltransferase (AT-125) and inhibitor of cysteine conjugate β-lyase (aminooxiacetic acid).2 Dose-dependent decrease of p-aminohippurate uptake was observed in male renal cortical slices. Only the high doses (3.0 and 4.0×10-4M) caused a significant loss of organic anion uptake in females.3 β-Naphthoflavone and α-amino-3-chloro-4,5-dihydro-5-isoxazoleacetic acid (AT-125) partially, but significantly, reduced organic anion loss in males. In females, DL-buthionine-[S, R]-sulfoximine significantly increased in females but in males loss of organic anion accumulation caused by 1,3-dichloropropene. Aminooxyacetic acid did not ameliorate 1,3 D effects in vivo and in vitro in male rats. It appeared very toxic for female rats (all rats died) after in vivo injection.4 Sensitivity to nephrotoxicity induced by 1,3-dichlor-opropene in vitro was about double in male than female rats. Reduced glutathione conjugation appeared involved in nephrotoxicity induced in males but in females, probably by means of a chloropropylcysteinylglycine-conjugate formation; slight toxicity in females is likely related to oxidative metabolism.


2000 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 69-83 ◽  
Author(s):  
William J. Brock ◽  
David P. Kelly ◽  
Susan M. Munley ◽  
Karin S. Bentley ◽  
Kathy M. McGown ◽  
...  

The acute, subchronic, and developmental and genetic toxicity of hydrofluorocarbon (HFC)-236fa and HFC-236ea were evaluated to assist in establishing proper handling guidance. In acute inhalation studies, rats were exposed whole body for 4 hours to various concentrations of each isomer. Based on the lack of mortality, the approximate lethal concentration for HFC-236ea for male rats was > 85,000 ppm. For HFC-236fa, the LC50 for males and females (combined) was > 457,000 ppm. Narcotic-like effects, e.g., prostration, incoordination, and reduced motor activity, were observed only during exposure to either isomer, but were not evident after termination of exposure. In cardiac sensitization studies, HFC-236ea induced cardiac sensitization at ≥ 35,000 ppm, with fatal responses occurring at 50,000 ppm and greater. For HFC-236fa, a cardiac sensitization response was observed at 150,000 ppm and greater but not at 100,000 ppm. A fatal cardiac sensitization response was observed in one dog exposed to 150,000 ppm HFC-236fa. In 90-day subchronic inhalation studies, male and female rats were exposed whole body to HFC-236ea at concentrations of 0, 5000, 20,000, or 50,000 ppm for 6 hours/day, 5 days/week. Similarly, male and female rats were exposed whole body to HFC-236fa at concentrations of 0, 5000, 20,000, or 50,000 ppm for 6 hours/day, 5 days/week. During exposure, narcotic-like effect (reduced acoustic startle response) was observed at 50,000 ppm with both isomers, although there appeared to be an adaptive response to this effect as the study progressed. With HFC-236ea, dilatation of the seminiferous tubules, without effects on germ or Sertoli cells, was observed only in rats at 50,000 ppm. No other effects on in-life measures or on clinical or anatomic pathology, including histopathology, were observed for either isomer. In rat developmental toxicity studies, no evidence of embryotoxicity or teratogenicity was observed with either isomer exposed up to 50,000 ppm during gestational days 7 to 16. Also, no developmental toxicity was observed in rabbits exposed to HFC-236fa at concentrations of up to 50,000 ppm during gestational days 7 to 19. Neither of the HFC-236 isomers was mutagenic in the Ames reverse mutation assay or clastogenic in the chromosomal aberration assay with human lymphocytes. No increase in chromosomal aberrations was observed in in vivo micronucleus studies with either isomer.


2011 ◽  
Vol 301 (5) ◽  
pp. L804-L811 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edgar E. Kooijman ◽  
Stephanie R. Kuzenko ◽  
Denghuang Gong ◽  
Michael D. Best ◽  
Hans G. Folkesson

Cell membrane phospholipids, like phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate [PI( 4 , 5 )P2], can regulate epithelial Na channel (ENaC) activity. Gender differences in lung ENaC expression have also been demonstrated. However, the effects in vivo on alveolar fluid clearance are uncertain. Thus PI( 4 , 5 )P2 effects on alveolar fluid clearance were studied in male and female rats. An isosmolar 5% albumin solution was intrapulmonary instilled; alveolar fluid clearance was studied for 1 h. Female rats had a 37 ± 19% higher baseline alveolar fluid clearance than male rats. Bilateral ovariectomy attenuated this gender difference. Compared with controls, PI( 4 , 5 )P2 instillation (300 μM) increased alveolar fluid clearance by ∼93% in both genders. Amiloride or the specific αENaC small-interfering RNA inhibited baseline and PI( 4 , 5 )P2-stimulated alveolar fluid clearance in both genders, indicating a dependence on amiloride-sensitive pathways. The fraction of amiloride inhibition was greater in PI( 4 , 5 )P2-instilled rats (male: 64 ± 10%; female: 70 ± 11%) than in controls (male: 30 ± 6%; female: 44 ± 8%). PI( 4 , 5 )P2 instillation lacked additional alveolar fluid clearance stimulation above that of terbutaline, nor did propranolol inhibit alveolar fluid clearance after PI( 4 , 5 )P2 instillation, indicating that PI( 4 , 5 )P2 stimulation was not secondary to endogenous β-adrenoceptor activation. PI( 4 , 5 )P2 amine instillation resulted in an intermediate alveolar fluid clearance stimulation, suggesting that, to reach maximal alveolar fluid clearance stimulation, PI( 4 , 5 )P2 must reside in cell membranes. In summary, PI( 4 , 5 )P2 instillation upregulated in vivo alveolar fluid clearance similar to short-term β-adrenoceptor upregulation of alveolar fluid clearance. PI( 4 , 5 )P2 stimulation was mediated partly by increased amiloride-sensitive Na transport. There exist important gender-related effects suggesting a female advantage that may have clinical implications for resolution of acute lung injury.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document