Credit score: Circulation (2025). DOI: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.123.068560
In recent times, fentanyl, an artificial opioid that’s 50 to 100 instances stronger than morphine, has been a primary contributor to the opioid disaster. One of many worst opposed results of fentanyl abuse is opioid-induced cardiac arrest. Though it’s well-known that opioid abuse can induce arrhythmias, the consequences of fentanyl abuse on coronary heart rhythms haven’t but been totally investigated.
In a latest research printed in Circulation, first-author Gema Mondéjar-Parreño, Ph.D. and senior writer Joseph C. Wu, MD, Ph.D., director of Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, discovered that human-induced pluripotent stem cells present an unparalleled alternative to check patient-specific responses to opioid abuse.
The investigators studied the implications of fentanyl abuse, particularly these referring to {the electrical} exercise of the guts, which decide how the guts controls its rhythm and pumping. The scientists analyzed 19 toxicology research between 1994 and 2022 by which the imply estimate of fentanyl focus was 3 times increased than for sufferers with continual ache. Utilizing the info, the investigators uncovered human-induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (iPSC-CMs) to doses of fentanyl that mimicked circumstances of overdose.
They discovered that this induced modifications in calcium signaling homeostasis in coronary heart muscle cells and slowed down preparation for the following heartbeat, which contributed to beating irregularities. Moreover, since arrhythmias are sometimes extra evident when the guts price will increase, the researchers discovered the mix of fentanyl and isoproterenol, a stimulant used to extend coronary heart price, can worsen fentanyl-induced arrhythmias.
This research affords proof that fentanyl abuse can impair the operate of cardiac cells, resulting in rhythm defects. Along with respiratory despair, fentanyl-induced results on electrophysiology considerably contribute to cardiac arrest. Additional research will assist us higher perceive fentanyl abuse and its relationship to arrhythmias.
Extra data:
Gema Mondéjar-Parreño et al, Investigating the Threat of Arrhythmogenesis Related With Fentanyl Abuse Utilizing Human and Mouse Cardiomyocytes, Circulation (2025). DOI: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.123.068560
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Stanford Cardiovascular Institute
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Exploring the promise of human iPSC-heart cells in understanding fentanyl abuse (2025, August 28)
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