Sex-specific transgenerational effects of adolescent morphine exposure on short-term memory and anxiety behavior: Male linage

Adolescent morphine exposure induced long-term cognitive impairment and prefrontal neurostructural abnormality in adulthood in male mice

Opioids abuse in adolescence is becoming a pressing public health issue. While evidence suggests that exposure to opioids during adolescence leads to lasting alterations in brain development, the long-term cognitive implications in adulthood remain uncertain. We developed a male mouse model of adolescent morphine exposure and used the 5-choice serial reaction time task (5-CSRTT), along with the open field, novel object recognition, Y maze and Barnes maze tests, to assess changes in cognitive behavior. We found that exposure to morphine during adolescence led to deficits in multidimensional cognitive functions in mice, including attention, information processing speed, and behavior inhibition. Notable, these impairments persisted into adulthood. Furthermore, the morphine-exposed mice exhibited decreased learning efficiency and spatial memory. Adolescent morphine exposure also induced significant and persistent morphological changes and synaptic abnormalities in medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) neurons, which may be responsible for cognitive impairments in adulthood. Together, our study suggests that opioid exposure during adolescence profoundly affects cognitive development and emphasizes that opioid-induced disruption of neurons in adolescence may link mPFC-associated cognitive impairments in adulthood.

Paternal impact on the developmental programming of sexual dimorphism

Sexual dimorphism involves distinct anatomical, physiological, behavioral, and developmental differences between males and females of the same species, influenced by factors prior to conception and during early development. These sex-specific traits contribute to varied phenotypes and individual disease risks within and across generations and understanding them is essential in mammalian studies. Hormones, sex chromosomes, and imprinted genes drive this dimorphism, with over half of quantitative traits in wildtype mice showing sex-based variation. This review focuses on the impact of paternal non-genetic factors on sexual dimorphism. We synthesize current research on how paternal health before conception affects offspring phenotypes in a sex-specific manner, examining mechanisms such as DNA methylation, paternally imprinted genes, sperm RNA, and seminal plasma. Additionally, we explore how paternal influences indirectly shape offspring through maternal behavior, uterine environment, and placental changes, affecting males and females differently. We propose mechanisms modulating sexual dimorphism during development, underscoring the need for sex-specific documentation in animal studies.

Effects of novel beta-lactam, MC-100093, and ceftriaxone on astrocytic glutamate transporters and neuroinflammatory factors in nucleus accumbens of C57BL/6 mice exposed to escalated doses of morphine

Chronic exposure to opioids can lead to downregulation of astrocytic glutamate transporter 1 (GLT-1), which regulates the majority of glutamate uptake. Studies from our lab revealed that beta-lactam antibiotic, ceftriaxone, attenuated hydrocodone-induced downregulation of GLT-1 as well as cystine/glutamate antiporter (xCT) expression in central reward brain regions. In this study, we investigated the effects of escalating doses of morphine and tested the efficacy of novel synthetic non-antibiotic drug, MC-100093, and ceftriaxone in attenuating the effects of morphine exposure in the expression of GLT-1, xCT, and neuroinflammatory factors (IL-6 and TGF-β) in the nucleus accumbens (NAc). This study also investigated the effects of morphine and beta-lactams in locomotor activity, spontaneous alternation percentage (SAP) and number of entries in Y maze since opioids have effects in locomotor sensitization. Mice were exposed to moderate dose of morphine (20 mg/kg, i.p.) on days 1, 3, 5, 7, and a higher dose of morphine (150 mg/kg, i.p.) on day 9, and these mice were then behaviorally tested and euthanized on Day 10. Western blot analysis showed that exposure to morphine downregulated GLT-1 and xCT expression in the NAc, and both MC-100093 and ceftriaxone attenuated these effects. In addition, morphine exposure increased IL-6 mRNA and TGF-β mRNA expression, and MC-100093 and ceftriaxone attenuated only the effect on IL-6 mRNA expression in the NAc. Furthermore, morphine exposure induced an increase in distance travelled, and MC-100093 and ceftriaxone attenuated this effect. In addition, morphine exposure decreased the SAP and increased the number of arm entries in Y maze, however, neither MC-100093 nor ceftriaxone showed any attenuating effect. Our findings demonstrated for the first time that MC-100093 and ceftriaxone attenuated morphine-induced downregulation of GLT-1 and xCT expression, and morphine-induced increase in neuroinflammatory factor, IL-6, as well as hyperactivity. These findings revealed the beneficial therapeutic effects of MC-100093 and ceftriaxone against the effects of exposure to escalated doses of morphine.

Trans-generational effects of parental exposure to drugs of abuse on offspring memory functions

Recent evidence reported that parental-derived phenotypes can be passed on to the next generations. Within the inheritance of epigenetic characteristics allowing the transmission of information related to the ancestral environment to the offspring, the specific case of the trans-generational effects of parental drug addiction has been extensively studied. Drug addiction is a chronic disorder resulting from complex interactions among environmental, genetic, and drug-related factors. Repeated exposures to drugs induce epigenetic changes in the reward circuitry that in turn mediate enduring changes in brain function. Addictive drugs can exert their effects trans-generally and influence the offspring of addicted parents. Although there is growing evidence that shows a wide range of behavioral, physiological, and molecular phenotypes in inter-, multi-, and trans-generational studies, transmitted phenotypes often vary widely even within similar protocols. Given the breadth of literature findings, in the present review, we restricted our investigation to learning and memory performances, as examples of the offspring's complex behavioral outcomes following parental exposure to drugs of abuse, including morphine, cocaine, cannabinoids, nicotine, heroin, and alcohol.

Development of anxiety-like behaviors during adolescence: Persistent effects of adolescent morphine exposure in male rats

Epidemiological studies show the prevalence of opioid use, misuse and abuse in adolescents, which imposes social and economic accountability worldwide. Chronic opioid exposure, especially in adolescents, may have lasting effects on emotional behaviors that persist into adulthood. The current experiments were therefore designed to study the effects of sustained opioid exposure during adolescence on anxiety-like behaviors. Adolescent male Wistar rats underwent increasing doses of morphine for 10 days (PNDs 31-40). After that the open field test (OFT) and elevated plus maze (EPM) test were performed over a 4-week postmorphine treatment from adolescence to adulthood. Moreover, the weight of the animals was measured at these time points. We found that chronic adolescent morphine exposure reduces the weight gain during the period of morphine treatment and 4 weeks after that. It had no significant effect on the locomotor activity in the animals. Moreover, anxiolytic-like behavior was observed in the rats exposed to morphine during adolescence evaluated by OFT and EPM test. Thus, long-term exposure to morphine during adolescence has the profound potential of altering the anxiety-like behavior profile in the period from adolescence to adulthood. The maturation of the nervous system can be affected by drug abuse during the developmental window of adolescence and these effects may lead to behaviorally stable alterations.

GW4064 Alters Gut Microbiota Composition and Counteracts Autism-Associated Behaviors in BTBR T+tf/J Mice

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is considered a heterogeneous neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by significant social, communication, and behavioral impairments. The gut microbiota is increasingly considered a promising therapeutic target in ASD. Farnesoid X receptor (FXR) has recently been shown to modulate the gut microbiota. We hypothesized that FXR agonist GW4064 could ameliorate behavioral deficits in an animal model for autism: BTBR T+Itpr3tf/J (BTBR) mouse. As expected, administration of GW4064 rescued the sociability of BTBR mice in the three-chamber sociability test and male-female social reciprocal interaction test, while no effects were observed in C57BL/6J mice. We also found that GW4064 administration increased fecal microbial abundance and counteracted the common ASD phenotype of a high Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes ratio in BTBR mice. In addition, GW4064 administration reversed elevated Lactobacillus and decreased Allobaculum content in the fecal matter of BTBR animals. Our findings show that GW4064 administration alleviates social deficits in BTBR mice and modulates selective aspects of the composition of the gut microbiota, suggesting that GW4064 supplementation might prove a potential strategy for improving ASD symptoms.

Paternal preconception exposure to chronic morphine alters respiratory pattern in response to morphine in male offspring

The clinical use of opioids is restricted by its deleterious impacts on respiratory system. Gaining a better understanding of an individual's susceptibility to adverse opioid effects is important to recognize patients at risk. Ancestral drug addiction has been shown to be associated with alterations in drug responsiveness in the progenies. In the current study, we sought to evaluate the effects of preconception paternal morphine consumption on respiratory parameters in response to acute morphine in male offspring during adulthood, using plethysmography technique. Male Wistar rats administered 10 days of increasing doses of morphine in the period of adolescence. Thereafter, following a 30-day abstinence time, adult males copulated with naïve females. The adult male offspring were examined for breathing response to morphine. Our results indicated that sires who introduce chronic morphine during adolescence leads to increase irregularity of respiratory pattern and asynchronization between inter-breath interval (IBI) and respiratory volume (RV) time series in male offspring. These findings provide evidence that chronic morphine use by parents even before pregnancy can affect respiratory pattern and response to morphine in the offspring.

Preconception paternal morphine exposure leads to an impulsive phenotype in male rat progeny

RATIONALE

Identifying the long-term neurocognitive implications of opioid addiction may further our understanding of the compulsive nature of this brain disorder. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of paternal adolescent opiate exposure on cognitive performance (visual attention, impulsivity, and compulsivity) in the next generation.

METHODS

Male Wistar rats received escalating doses of morphine (2.5-25 mg/kg, s.c.) or saline for 10 days during adolescence (P30-39). In adulthood (P70-80), these rats were allowed to mate with drug-naive females. Male offspring from morphine- and saline-exposed sires, once in adulthood, were trained and tested in the 5-choice serial reaction time test (5-CSRTT) to evaluate their cognitive abilities under baseline, drug-free conditions as well as following acute (1, 3, 5 mg/kg morphine) and subchronic morphine (5 mg/kg morphine for 5 days) treatment. Behavioral effects of the opioid receptor antagonist naloxone were also assessed.

RESULTS

Morphine-sired offspring exhibited delayed learning when the shortest stimulus duration (1 s) was introduced, i.e., when cognitive load was highest. These subjects also exhibited a reduced ability to exert inhibitory control, as reflected by increased premature and perseverative responding under drug-free baseline conditions in comparison to saline-sired rats. These impairments could not be reversed by administration of naloxone. Moreover, impulsive behavior was further enhanced in morphine-sired rats following acute and subchronic morphine treatment.

CONCLUSION

Paternal opiate exposure during adolescence was found to primarily impair inhibitory control in male progeny. These results further our understanding of the long-term costs and risk of opioid abuse, extending across generations.