Human Plasma β-Endorphin Levels in Pregnant Women and in Newborns

Distler, W.

doi:10.1007/978-3-642-75797-6_7

Cited by 1 publication

(1 citation statement)

References 24 publications

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“…75,76 Interestingly, pharmacologic treatments to reduce NOWS did not affect EOPs levels, and there was no relationship between NOWS symptom severity and EOPs plasma levels. 77 ORs are expressed in the placenta and the brain of neonates in gestational weeks 12 to 13, where EOPs modulate brain development. 78,79 Therefore, prolonged exogenous stimulation of opioids could contribute to decreasing the energy level required for initiating an active cascade of GPCR signaling.…”

Section: Original Articlementioning

confidence: 99%

Prenatal Morphine Exposure Increases Cardiovascular Disease Risk and Programs Neurogenic Hypertension in the Adult Offspring

et al. 2023

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Background: The opioid overdose and opioid use disorder epidemics are concomitant with increased metabolic and CVD risk. Although opioid use disorder causes adverse pregnancy outcomes, the offspring’s cardiovascular health is understudied. We hypothesized that offspring exposed to morphine in utero would show increased CVD risk factors and endogenous opioid system dysregulation. Methods: Sprague Dawley dams were treated with saline (vehicle, n=10) or escalating doses of morphine (5–20 mg/kg per day, SC, n=10) during gestation. Cardiovascular and metabolic parameters were assessed in adult offspring. Results: Litter size and pups’ birth weight were not different in response to morphine exposure. Female and male morphine-exposed offspring showed reduced body length at birth ( P <0.05) and body weight from weeks 1 to 3 of life ( P <0.05), followed by a catch-up growth effect. By week 16, female and male morphine-exposed rats showed reduced tibia length ( P <0.05) and fat mass. In utero morphine exposure increases the mean arterial pressure and the depressor response to mecamylamine (5 mg/kg per day, IP) increases were abolished by a chronic treatment with an alpha-adrenergic receptor blocker (prazosin; 1 mg/kg per day, IP). Although circulating levels of angiotensin peptides were similar between groups, in utero morphine exposure exacerbated maximal ex vivo Ang (angiotensin) II–induced vasoconstriction ( P <0.05) and induced endothelial dysfunction in a sex-specific manner ( P <0.05). Proenkephalin, an endogenous opioid peptide that lowers blood pressure and sympathetic-mediated vasoconstriction, showed reduced mRNA expression in the heart, aorta, and kidneys from morphine versus vehicle group ( P <0.05). Conclusions: Among the effects of in utero morphine exposure, neurogenic hypertension, vascular dysfunction, and metabolic dysfunction could be associated with the dysregulation of the endogenous opioid system.

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