Brief Hydromorphone Exposure During Pregnancy Sufficient to Induce Maternal and Neonatal Microbial Dysbiosis

Long-Term Effects of Developmental Exposure to Oxycodone on Gut Microbiota and Relationship to Adult Behaviors and Metabolism

“…Second, we sought to determine whether such gut microbiota changes might be linked to changes in metabolic pathways and previously identified neurobehavioral and metabolic disruptions reported at adulthood in male and female offspring prenatally exposed to OXY ( 20 ). Past mice studies have shown that OXY exposure can lead to direct maternal and infant effects ( 18 , 19 ). However, the current study is the first to explore whether such exposure can result in long-term gut dysbiosis changes.…”

“…An underexplored area though is that maternal exposure to opioids may alter the gut microbiome of her offspring and in turn lead to neurobehavioral changes due to affects through the microbiome-gut-brain axis. Brief gestation exposure, days 11 to 13 of gestation of mouse dams to the opioid, hydromorphone (10 mg/kg intraperitoneally) is sufficient to induce gut dysbiosis in her and her offspring ( 18 ). In mice, prenatal exposure to the opioid, methadone, induces analogous maternal and infant gut microbial changes ( 19 ).…”

A Scoping Review of Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal and the Infant Gut Microbiome

“…Fecal samples were collected from a group of hydromorphone-exposed dams and their offspring, as well as a nonexposed control group. Using 16sRNA sequencing, gut microbiome analysis was performed across various time points to investigate gut microbiota establishment 22. As a secondary outcome, stomach contents were examined as a surrogate for human milk 22…”

“…Abu and colleagues 22 examined the impact of brief prenatal hydromorphone, a type of opioid, exposure on the maternal and neonatal microbiome using a murine model. Fecal samples were collected from a group of hydromorphone-exposed dams and their offspring, as well as a nonexposed control group.…”

“…14 As demonstrated in animal models, 22 researchers speculate that human milk likely mediates the effects of opioids on the infant gut microbiome. 10,22 As such, we postulate that investigating the mechanisms by which human milk optimizes outcomes in infants with NOWS is essential for the promotion of targeted intervention. Understanding of this specific mechanistic pathway in infants with NOWS is limited; accordingly, the purpose of this scoping review was to describe the current state of the literature regarding the effect of human milk on infant gut microbiota in infants with NOWS.…”