Prenatal Exposure May Trigger Issues.

• Position: OPIOIDS

While infants exposed to opioids during their mother's pregnancy have been linked to adverse health outcomes, a study at the University of Missouri has found prenatal opioid exposure could trigger long-term neurological or behavioral effects later in a child's life. The key is the opioid's impact on the developing fetus' gut microbiome-a collection of bacteria and other microorganisms that naturally live inside the guts of all humans and animals and can serve as a barometer for overall health and wellness.

Cheryl Rosenfeld, a professor in the College of Veterinary Medicine, collaborated with Trupti Joshi, assistant professor in the School of Medicine, to compare the gut mi-crobiome of adult mice who were exposed during gestation to oxycodone, a commonly abused opioid that treats pain, in utero with the gut microbiome of mice who were not exposed to any opioids.

"Opioids are increasingly being prescribed to pregnant women to treat pain, yet when they are consumed, we are learning it is not just the mother who is being exposed, but also the fetus at a time when their organs are still developing," Rosenfeld says. 'These findings highlight the potential long-term health effects for the offspring, not...