Heroin- and Fentanyl-Induced Respiratory Depression in a Rat Plethysmography Model: Potency, Tolerance, and Sex Differences

• Published in: The Journal of pharmacology and experimental therapeutics Vol. 385; no. 2; pp. 117 - 134
• Main Authors: Marchette, Renata C.N., Carlson, Erika R., Frye, Emma V., Hastings, Lyndsay E., Vendruscolo, Janaina C.M., Mejias-Torres, Gustavo, Lewis, Stephen J., Hampson, Aidan, Volkow, Nora D., Vendruscolo, Leandro F., Koob, George F.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01.05.2023; The American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics
• Subjects: Analgesics, Opioid - pharmacology; Animals; Drug Discovery and Translational Medicine; Female; Fentanyl - adverse effects; Heroin - adverse effects; Male; Opiate Overdose - drug therapy; Plethysmography; Rats; Respiratory Insufficiency - chemically induced; Respiratory Insufficiency - drug therapy; Sex Characteristics; MOR; RM-ANOVA; O2; CO2

The opioid overdose death toll in the United States is an ongoing public health crisis. We characterized the magnitude and duration of respiratory depression, the leading cause of death in opioid overdose cases, induced by heroin or fentanyl and the development of tolerance in male and female rats....