Thus, prenatal opioid exposure may trigger long-term neurological and behavioral effects later in a child’s life, these effects being mediated by the gut microbiome of the developing fetus. Lead author Cheryl Rosenfeld, a professor at the MU College of Veterinary Medicine, and her team demonstrate it here in mice.
Another illustration of the gut-brain axis
The study: differences are observed between the microbiota of adult mice, exposed in utero to oxycodone, an opioid commonly used to treat pain, and the intestinal microbiota of mice never exposed to any opioid. The analysis of the microbiota of the two groups of mice at the age of 120 days reveals:
- significant disturbances in the natural balance of bacterial communities in the intestines of mice exposed to oxycodone in utero;
- these changes appear to be linked to alterations in metabolic pathways, which may impact not only metabolism but also long-term neurological and behavioral health.
As opioids are increasingly prescribed to pregnant women to treat pain, these data suggest that
it is not only the mother who is exposed, but also the fetus
and at a critical time in its development.
Finally, the authors point out that the gut microbiome of humans is very similar to the gut microbiome of mice, considered by scientists to be a useful biomedical model for translational and precision medicine research.
If longitudinal studies will be necessary in humans, while the opioid epidemic is raging, this study can already sensitize pregnant women or women of childbearing age to the reasonable use of these painkillers.
“For those children who were exposed to opioids in utero, there is also an increased risk for themselves of opioid addiction. By identifying these exposures as early as possible, interventions can be implemented.
We are beginning to understand how changes in the gut microbiota can impact mood and mental health later in adulthood. This research helps us to better understand the gut-brain axisbecause there is a lot of communication between the brain, the central nervous system, the endocrine system, the immune system and the gut microbiome.”
