Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42208348›Full record

ArticleBiomedicine & pharmacotherapy = Biomedecine & pharmacotherapie2026

Oxytocin attenuates respiratory depression and reduces mortality from fentanyl and the combination of xylazine-fentanyl in rats.

Joan B Escobar, John Wainwright, Xin Wang, Olga Dergacheva, Matthew W Kay, John R Bethea, Vivek Jain, Vsevolod Y Polotsky, David Mendelowitz

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Biomedicine & pharmacotherapy = Biomedecine & pharmacotherapie, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0citing papers in PubMed
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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

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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

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Joan B EscobarDepartment of Pharmacology and Physiology, The George Washington University, Washington, DC 20037, United States.
John WainwrightDepartment of Pharmacology and Physiology, The George Washington University, Washington, DC 20037, United States.
Xin WangDepartment of Pharmacology and Physiology, The George Washington University, Washington, DC 20037, United States.
Olga DergachevaDepartment of Pharmacology and Physiology, The George Washington University, Washington, DC 20037, United States.
Matthew W KayDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, The George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052, United States.
John R BetheaDepartment of Anatomy and Cell Biology, George Washington University, Washington, DC 20037, United States.
Vivek JainDepartment of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Disorders Medicine, George Washington University, Washington, DC 20037, United States.
Vsevolod Y PolotskyDepartment of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, George Washington University, Washington, DC 20037, United States.
David MendelowitzDepartment of Pharmacology and Physiology, The George Washington University, Washington, DC 20037, United States. Electronic address: dmendel@gwu.edu.

Funding

Repurposing FDA-approved oxytocin to treat opioid-induced respiratory depressionUG3DA062506 · NIDA · GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY · PI David Mendelowitz, Vsevolod Y Polotsky · 2025 to 2026
$4.1M
Zeiss 980 confocal microscope with 32-channel spectral detector, Airy Scan, and Chameleon Discovery IR laser for 2-photon excitationS10OD032420 · OD · GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY · PI POPRATILOFF, ANASTAS · 2022 to 2022
$947k
Acquisition of Zeiss Cell Observer Spinning Disk Confocal SystemS10OD010710 · OD · GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY · PI POPRATILOFF, ANASTAS · 2012 to 2012
$500k
NIDA NIH HHS UG3 DA062506NIH HHS S10 OD010710NIH HHS S10 OD032420
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Opioid addiction and misuse are a serious national crisis that affects public health, as well as social and economic welfare. Mortality due to opioid misuse is further exasperated by the combination of opioids with non-opioid respiratory depressants such as xylazine that are resistant to mu opioid receptor antagonists such as naloxone. This study tested the hypothesis that oxytocin can mitigate the severe opioid induced respiratory depression (OIRD) and mortality induced by high doses of fentanyl or the combination of fentanyl with xylazine. Our results show OXT can improve survival and respiratory function in both male and female rats with opioid induced respiratory depression caused by fentanyl, as well as a combination of fentanyl and xylazine. The improvement in respiratory function by OXT post fentanyl-xylazine was significantly greater than the recovery using only naloxone. Chemogenetic activation of OXT receptor positive neurons in the ventral respiratory group (VRG) provided similar benefits to that of OXT administration in reversing OIRD. These results indicate OXT is a promising therapeutic target for reversing OIRD and the respiratory depression that occurs with the combination of opioids and xylazine, a situation where naloxone is only partially effective. Additional translational benefits of OXT include it can be repurposed as it is already a FDA approved drug for other uses, has a high safety profile, and is unlikely to induce the withdrawal or reversal of analgesia that occurs with naloxone.

Indexed as

FentanylOxytocinRespiratory InsufficiencyXylazineAnalgesics, OpioidAnimalsFemaleMaleNaloxoneNarcotic AntagonistsRatsRats, Sprague-DawleyReceptors, OxytocinAnalgesics, OpioidFentanylNaloxoneNarcotic AntagonistsOxytocinReceptors, OxytocinXylazineFentanylOpioidOxytocinRespiratory depressionRespiratory physiologyTable of contents categoryXylazine

Identifiers

PMID42208348
PMCPMC13330992

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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.