Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • What's Your Diagnosis
  • Published:

Diagnosis: Pica Secondary to Buprenorphine Administration

Lab Animal volume 33, pages 22–23 (2004)Cite this article

Based on the clinical history and gross necropsy findings, we diagnosed pica secondary to buprenorphine administration as the initiating cause of bedding ingestion and subsequent gastric and esophageal impaction. Pica is a behavior characterized by the craving for and ingesting of unnatural or non-nutrient substances. Pica in rats may indicate nausea and is perhaps analogous to emesis in other species, since treatment with anti-emetic drugs improves the behavior1,2,3.

Several reports have described pica in rats after buprenorphine administration4,5,6,7. Various doses of buprenorphine, whether used in surgically manipulated or surgery-naive rats, or in rats treated simultaneously with other drugs, can elicit pica. Clark et al.5 and Jacobsen6 described rats ingesting non-nutrient substances, such as bedding, that are available in the environment, resulting in gastric distension that may be severe enough to cause death. The use of grid flooring in cages or the restricting of access of rats to bedding can prevent or reduce the pica and its effects after buprenorphine administration. Rats housed on synthetic bedding show a lower incidence of bedding ingestion after buprenorphine administration than rats housed on sawdust or wood-chip bedding8.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

References

  1. Mitchell, D., Wells, C., Hoch, N., Lind, K., Wooks, S.C. & Mitchell, L.K. Poison induced pica in rats. Physiol. Behav. 17(4), 691–697 (1976).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Mitchell, D., Krusemark, M.L. & Hafner, D. Pica: a species relevant behavioral assay of motion sickness in the rat. Physiol. Behav. 18(1), 125–130 (1977).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Takeda, N., Hasegawa, S., Morita, M. & Matsunaga, T. Pica in rats is analogous to emesis: an animal model in emesis research. Pharmacol. Biochem. Behav. 45(4), 817–821 (1993).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Bender, H.M. Pica behavior associated with buprenorphine administration in the rat. Lab. Anim. Sci. 48(1), 5 (1998).

    Google Scholar 

  5. Clark, J.A. Jr., Myers, P.H., Goelz, M.F., Thigpen, J.E. & Forsythe, D.B. Pica behavior associated with buprenorphine administration in the rat. Lab. Anim. Sci. 47(3), 300–303 (1997).

    Google Scholar 

  6. Jacobson, C. Adverse effects on growth rates in rats caused by buprenorphine administration. Lab. Anim. 34(2), 202–206 (2000).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. St A. Stewart L. & Martin, W.J. Evaluation of postoperative analgesia in a rat model of incisional pain. Contemp. Top. Lab. Anim. Sci. 42(1), 28–34 (2003).

    Google Scholar 

  8. Roughan, J.V. & Flecknell, P.A. Buprenorphine: a reappraisal of its antinociceptive effects and therapeutic use in alleviating post-operative pain in animals. Lab. Anim. 36(3), 322–343 (2002).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Swindle, M.M., Vogler, G.A., Marini, R.P. & Popilskis, S. in Laboratory Animal Medicine 2nd edn (eds. Fox, J.G., Anderson, L.C., Loew, F.M. & Quimby, F.W.) 956–1003 (Academic Press, San Diego, CA, 2002).

    Google Scholar 

  10. Wixson, S.K. & Smiler, K.A. in Anesthesia and Analgesia in Laboratory Animals (eds. Kohn, D.F., Wixson, S.K., White, J.W. & Benson, G.J.) 165–203 (Academic Press, San Diego, 1997).

    Book  Google Scholar 

  11. Cowan, A., Doxey, J.C. & Harry, E.J. The animal pharmacology of buprenorphine, an oripavine analgesic agent. Br. J. Pharmacol. 60(4), 547–554 (1977).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Gades, N.M., Wixson, S.K., Danneman, P.J. & Tolley, E.A. Inefficacy of buprenorphine in rats. [comment]. Contemp. Top. Lab. Anim. Sci. 40(2), 7 (2001).

    Google Scholar 

  13. Kirsch, J.H., Klaus, J.A., Blizzard, K.K., Hurn, P.D. & Murphy, S.J. Pain evaluation and response to buprenorphine in rats subjected to sham middle cerebral artery occlusion. Contemp. Top. Lab. Anim. Sci. 41(6), 9–14 (2002).

    Google Scholar 

  14. Leese, T., Husken, P.A. & Morton, D.B. Buprenorphine analgesia in a rat model of acute pancreatitis. Surg. Res. Commun. 3, 53–60 (1988).

    Google Scholar 

  15. Liles, J.H. & Flecknell, P.A. The effects of surgical stimulus on the rat and the influence of analgesic treatment. Br. Vet. J. 149(6), 515–525 (1993).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Liles, J.H. & Flecknell, P.A. The influence of buprenorphine or bupivacaine on the post-operative effects of laparotomy and bile-duct ligation in rats. Lab. Anim. 27(4), 374–380 (1993).

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Bosgraaf is a veterinary technician of the Division of Laboratory Animal Medicine, Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, Springfield, IL.,

    Christine A. Bosgraaf CVT, RLATG

  2. Suchy and Harrison are research technologists in the Department of Surgery, Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, Springfield, IL.,

    Hans Suchy & Carrie Harrison

  3. Toth is Director of the Division of Laboratory Animal Medicine and Professor of Pharmacology, Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, Springfield, IL.,

    Linda A. Toth DVM, PhD

Authors
  1. Christine A. Bosgraaf CVT, RLATG
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Hans Suchy
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Carrie Harrison
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Linda A. Toth DVM, PhD
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Linda A. Toth DVM, PhD.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Bosgraaf, C., Suchy, H., Harrison, C. et al. Diagnosis: Pica Secondary to Buprenorphine Administration. Lab Anim 33, 22–23 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1038/laban0304-22

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/laban0304-22

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing