Paige Johnson
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Research Mentor(s): Emily Jutkiewicz
Co-Presenter:
Research Mentor School/College/Department: Pharmacology / Medicine
Presentation Date: April 20
Presentation Type: Poster
Session: Session 3 – 1:40pm – 2:30 pm
Room: League Ballroom
Authors: Paige Johnson , Gwen Burgess, Emily Jutkiewicz, Ph.D.
Presenter: 19
Abstract
Itchiness is very common in humans who take opioids, and neuropathic pain itself can even cause itchiness and other unpleasant sensations in people. This can further complicate the treatment of their pain. Thus, as we evaluate the ability of opioids to reverse neuropathic pain in rats, we will also monitor them for signs or pruritis or other forms of self-injurious behavior. To induce chronic pain, we are using an animal model of chronic pain called the spared nerve injury (SNI). This model has been demonstrated to be the most translatable and produces a pattern of pain-like behaviors in rats most similar to the profile observed in humans experiencing chronic neuropathic pain. We hypothesize that fentanyl and morphine (full agonists) will induce these pruritus-like behaviors, but that nalbuphine will not- due to nalbuphine having only partial agonist activity at the mu opioid receptor. To test this, we will be observing both male and female rats who are undergoing cumulative dosing of opioids to assess antinociceptive effects of opioids. We will track the percentage of rats who begin manipulating limbs at each dose of drug. While these behaviors can be controlled to some extent, we desire to prevent these effects. Our results detail the percentage of rats who experienced these characteristics of neuropathic pain. This includes a comparison of percentages at different doses of opioids in both males and females in order to determine if this is a dose specific effect and if there are doses that produce antinociceptive-like effects with no adverse effects. All data is compared to rats who received the sham surgery (no nerve damage; just anesthesia and a muscle incision). Side effects from opioids used to treat pain are a significant obstacle in both humans and animals. Understanding the potential interaction between opioid-like effects and chronic pain will help inform future treatment of patients. Furthermore, this data will help to highlight differences in the ways male and female rats experience neuropathic pain and opioids in the long-term.
Biomedical Sciences, Interdisciplinary, Natural/Life Sciences
