ArticleDrug and alcohol dependence2023
Quantification of observable behaviors following oral administration of oxycodone and nalfurafine in male rhesus monkeys.
Article in Drug and alcohol dependence, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed, 5 citations in OpenAlex.
- Review
- Using a rich-lean transition procedure to evaluate putative antianxiety medications.The Journal of pharmacology and experimental therapeutics · 2025Article
- KOR agonists for the treatment and/or prevention of opioid use disorder and cocaine use disorder.Pharmacology, biochemistry, and behavior · 2025Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
8 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundRecent preclinical studies have investigated the atypical kappa-opioid receptor (KOR) agonist, nalfurafine, as a co-formulary with mu-opioid receptor (MOR) agonists as a potential deterrent for misuse. However, no study has investigated effects of nalfurafine combined with a MOR agonist using an oral route of administration. The objective of the current study was to measure behavioral effects of orally administered oxycodone and nalfurafine, alone and combined, in rhesus monkeys using a quantitative behavioral observation procedure.
methodsAdult male rhesus monkeys (N=5) were orally administered vehicle, oxycodone (0.56-1.8mg/kg), nalfurafine (0.001-0.0056mg/kg), or mixtures (1.0mg/kg oxycodone/0.001-0.0056mg/kg nalfurafine) in a Jell-O vehicle at multiple timepoints (10-320min). Species-typical and drug-induced behaviors were recorded by observers blinded to conditions.
resultsOxycodone alone significantly increased scratch and face-rub behaviors without affecting other behaviors. Nalfurafine decreased baseline levels of scratch without affecting other behaviors, and oxycodone-nalfurafine combinations resulted in reduced oxycodone-induced scratching at a dose (0.001mg/kg) that did not produce sedation-like effects. Oxycodone combined with larger nalfurafine doses (0.0032-0.0056mg/kg) also reduced oxycodone induced scratch that were accompanied with sedation-like effects (i.e., increased lip droop).
conclusionsNalfurafine was orally active in rhesus monkeys, and it reduced oxycodone-induced pruritus at a dose that did not produce sedation-like effects that are commonly observed with prototypical KOR agonists. Combinations of low doses of nalfurafine with MOR agonists such as oxycodone may be well-tolerated by humans who are prescribed MOR agonists for the treatment of pain.
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