Conjugate vaccine produces long-lasting attenuation of fentanyl vs. food choice and blocks expression of opioid withdrawal-induced increases in fentanyl choice in rats

Neuropsychopharmacology. 2019 Sep;44(10):1681-1689. doi: 10.1038/s41386-019-0385-9. Epub 2019 May 2.

Abstract

The current opioid crisis remains a significant public health issue and there is a critical need for biomedical research to develop effective and easily deployable candidate treatments. One emerging treatment strategy for opioid use disorder includes immunopharmacotherapies or opioid-targeted vaccines. The present study determined the effectiveness of a fentanyl-tetanus toxoid conjugate vaccine to alter fentanyl self-administration using a fentanyl-vs.-food choice procedure in male and female rats under three experimental conditions. For comparison, continuous 7-day naltrexone (0.01-0.1 mg/kg/h) and 7-day clonidine (3.2-10 μg/kg/h) treatment effects were also determined on fentanyl-vs.-food choice. Male and female rats responded for concurrently available 18% diluted Ensure® (liquid food) and fentanyl (0-10 μg/kg/infusion) infusions during daily sessions. Under baseline and saline treatment conditions, fentanyl maintained a dose-dependent increase in fentanyl-vs.-food choice. First, fentanyl vaccine administration significantly blunted fentanyl reinforcement and increased food reinforcement for 15 weeks in non-opioid dependent rats. Second, surmountability experiments by increasing the unit fentanyl dose available during the self-administration session 10-fold empirically determined that the fentanyl vaccine produced an approximate 22-fold potency shift in fentanyl-vs.-food choice that was as effective as the clinically approved treatment naltrexone. Clonidine treatment significantly increased fentanyl-vs.-food choice. Lastly, fentanyl vaccine administration prevented the expression of withdrawal-associated increases in fentanyl-vs.-food choice following introduction of extended 12 h fentanyl access sessions. Overall, these results support the potential and further consideration of immunopharmacotherapies as candidate treatments to address the current opioid crisis.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Adrenergic alpha-2 Receptor Agonists / pharmacology
  • Analgesics, Opioid / administration & dosage*
  • Analgesics, Opioid / immunology*
  • Animals
  • Behavior, Animal / drug effects*
  • Choice Behavior / drug effects*
  • Clonidine / pharmacology
  • Drug-Seeking Behavior / drug effects*
  • Feeding Behavior / drug effects
  • Female
  • Fentanyl / administration & dosage*
  • Fentanyl / immunology*
  • Food
  • Male
  • Naltrexone / pharmacology
  • Narcotic Antagonists / pharmacology
  • Opioid-Related Disorders
  • Rats
  • Reinforcement, Psychology
  • Self Administration
  • Substance Withdrawal Syndrome / physiopathology
  • Tetanus Toxoid
  • Vaccines, Conjugate / pharmacology*

Substances

  • Adrenergic alpha-2 Receptor Agonists
  • Analgesics, Opioid
  • Narcotic Antagonists
  • Tetanus Toxoid
  • Vaccines, Conjugate
  • Naltrexone
  • Clonidine
  • Fentanyl