Beneficial effects of Esketamine on Morphine preference reacquisition in male rats.
Neuroscience May 7, 2025 Murilo Barboza Fontoura, Jessica Leandra Oliveira da Rosa, Domenika Rubert Rossato et al. 3 citations
Repeated or daily doses of esketamine, the S-isomer of ketamine, prevented the reestablishment of morphine-conditioned place preference in rats, suggesting it may reduce relapse risk in opioid addiction. Rats received esketamine either every five days (acute) or daily (sub-chronic) during the extinction phase of morphine conditioning. After ten days, re-exposure to morphine did not reinstate the conditioned preference in either esketamine group. This is the first experimental evidence that esketamine could be a promising treatment for opioid use disorder, though clinical studies in humans are needed.