This study looked at how kratom (a plant-based substance) and oxycodone (a strong prescription pain medication) affect breathing in rats. Kratom contains an active ingredient called mitragynine, which is thought to work a bit differently than other opioid drugs. The researchers gave different doses of mitragynine and oxycodone to groups of rats and then looked at their breathing and other signs.

The results showed that oxycodone caused the rats to have trouble breathing, especially at higher doses. But mitragynine did not cause breathing problems, even at very high doses. This suggests that mitragynine may be safer than oxycodone when it comes to effects on breathing. The researchers think this is because mitragynine works a bit differently than other opioid drugs on certain receptors in the body.

This study was done in a laboratory setting using rats, not in the real world with human participants.

Key takeaways are:

• Oxycodone, a strong prescription opioid, caused dose-related respiratory depression in rats.
• Mitragynine, the main active ingredient in kratom, did not cause respiratory depression in rats, even at very high doses.
• This suggests mitragynine may have a lower risk of causing dangerous breathing problems compared to opioid drugs like oxycodone.

For further reading:

Link:https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00213-022-06244-z

Full Citation:

Henningfield, J. E., Rodricks, J. V., Magnuson, A. M., & Huestis, M. A. (2022). Respiratory effects of oral mitragynine and oxycodone in a rodent model. Psychopharmacology, 239, 3793-3804.