Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40168407›Full record

ArticlePloS one2025

A human iPSC-derived midbrain neural stem cell model of prenatal opioid exposure and withdrawal: A proof of concept study.

Rhea Sullivan, Quinn Ahrens, Sara L Mills-Huffnagle, Irina A Elcheva, Steven D Hicks

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in PloS one, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Rhea SullivanDepartment of Pediatrics, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania, United States of America.ORCID 0000-0003-0725-6386
Quinn AhrensDepartment of Pediatrics, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania, United States of America.
Sara L Mills-HuffnagleDepartment of Neural and Behavioral Sciences, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania, United States of America.ORCID 0000-0002-6722-2586
Irina A ElchevaDepartment of Pediatrics, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania, United States of America.
Steven D HicksDepartment of Pediatrics, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania, United States of America.

Funding

Understanding the miRNA response to opioid withdrawal and their uses as potential biomarkers for neonatal abstinence syndromeF30DA057094 · NIDA · PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIV HERSHEY MED CTR · PI Rhea Elena Sullivan · 2022 to 2026
$213k
Evaluation of inflammation in the locus coeruleus during physical withdrawal symptoms and cognitive development in a rat model of neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome (NOWS)F31DA059237 · NIDA · PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIV HERSHEY MED CTR · PI MILLS-HUFFNAGLE, SARA LYNN · 2023 to 2024
$76k
NIDA NIH HHS F30 DA057094NIDA NIH HHS F31 DA059237
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

A growing body of clinical literature has described neurodevelopmental delays in infants with chronic prenatal opioid exposure and withdrawal. Despite this, the mechanism of how opioids impact the developing brain remains unknown. Here, we developed an in vitro model of prenatal morphine exposure and withdrawal using healthy human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived midbrain neural progenitors in monolayer. To optimize our model, we identified that a longer neural induction and regional patterning period increases expression of canonical opioid receptors mu and kappa in midbrain neural progenitors compared to a shorter protocol (OPRM1, two-tailed t-test, p =  0.004; OPRK1, p =  0.0003). Next, we showed that the midbrain neural progenitors derived from a longer iPSC neural induction also have scant toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) expression, a key player in neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome pathophysiology. During morphine withdrawal, differentiating neural progenitors experience cyclic adenosine monophosphate overshoot compared to cell exposed to vehicle (p =  0.0496) and morphine exposure conditions (p, =  0.0136, 1-way ANOVA). Finally, we showed that morphine exposure and withdrawal alters proportions of differentiated progenitor cell fates (2-way ANOVA, F =  16.05, p <  0.0001). Chronic morphine exposure increased proportions of nestin positive progenitors (p =  0.0094), and decreased proportions of neuronal nuclear antigen positive neurons (NEUN) (p =  0.0047) compared to those exposed to vehicle. Morphine withdrawal decreased proportions of glial fibrillary acidic protein positive cells of astrocytic lineage (p =  0.044), and increased proportions of NEUN-positive neurons (p <  0.0001) compared to those exposed to morphine only. Applications of this paradigm include mechanistic studies underscoring neural progenitor cell fate commitments in early neurodevelopment during morphine exposure and withdrawal.

Indexed as

Analgesics, OpioidInduced Pluripotent Stem CellsMesencephalonMorphineNeural Stem CellsPrenatal Exposure Delayed EffectsSubstance Withdrawal SyndromeCell DifferentiationFemaleHumansPregnancyProof of Concept StudyReceptors, Opioid, kappaReceptors, Opioid, muToll-Like Receptor 4Analgesics, OpioidMorphineReceptors, Opioid, kappaReceptors, Opioid, muTLR4 protein, humanToll-Like Receptor 4

Identifiers

PMID40168407
PMCPMC11960892

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.