Department of Psychiatry, University of Florida.
Center for Addiction Research and Education, University of Florida.
Behav Pharmacol. 2022 Sep 1;33(6):418-426. doi: 10.1097/FBP.0000000000000690. Epub 2022 Aug 3.
The prescription opioid oxycodone is widely used for the treatment of pain in humans. Oxycodone misuse is more common among people with an anxiety disorder than those without one. Therefore, oxycodone might be misused for its anxiolytic properties. We investigated if oxycodone affects anxiety-like behavior in adult male and female rats. The rats were treated with oxycodone (0.178, 0.32, 0.56, or 1 mg/kg), and anxiety-like behavior was investigated in the elevated plus-maze test. Immediately after the elevated plus-maze test, a small open field test was conducted to determine the effects of oxycodone on locomotor activity. In the elevated plus-maze test, oxycodone increased the percentage of time spent on the open arms, the percentage of open arm entries, time on the open arms, open arm entries, and the distance traveled. The males treated with vehicle had a lower percentage of open arm entries than the females treated with vehicle, and oxycodone treatment led to a greater increase in the percentage of open arm entries in the males than females. Furthermore, the females spent more time on the open arms, made more open arm entries, spent less time in the closed arms, and traveled a greater distance than the males. In the small open field test, treatment with oxycodone did not affect locomotor activity or rearing. Sex differences were observed; the females traveled a greater distance and displayed more rearing than the males. In conclusion, oxycodone decreases anxiety-like behavior in rats, and oxycodone has a greater anxiolytic-like effect in males than females.
处方类阿片类药物羟考酮被广泛用于治疗人类疼痛。与没有焦虑障碍的人相比，患有焦虑障碍的人更常滥用羟考酮。因此，羟考酮可能因其抗焦虑特性而被滥用。我们研究了羟考酮是否会影响成年雄性和雌性大鼠的焦虑样行为。大鼠接受羟考酮（0.178、0.32、0.56 或 1mg/kg）治疗，并在高架十字迷宫测试中检测焦虑样行为。在高架十字迷宫测试后，立即进行小旷场测试，以确定羟考酮对运动活动的影响。在高架十字迷宫测试中，羟考酮增加了在开放臂上花费的时间百分比、开放臂进入次数百分比、在开放臂上花费的时间、开放臂进入次数和行进距离。与接受载体治疗的雄性相比，接受载体治疗的雌性在开放臂上的进入次数百分比较低，而羟考酮治疗导致雄性在开放臂上的进入次数百分比增加幅度大于雌性。此外，雌性在开放臂上花费的时间更多，进入开放臂的次数更多，在封闭臂上花费的时间更少，行进的距离也比雄性更远。在小旷场测试中，羟考酮治疗并未影响运动活动或竖起。观察到性别差异；雌性比雄性行进的距离更大，竖起的次数更多。总之，羟考酮可降低大鼠的焦虑样行为，并且羟考酮对雄性的抗焦虑样作用大于雌性。
