Nitazene opioids and the heart: Identification of a cardiac ion channel target for illicit nitazene opioids

Abstract

The growing use of nitazene synthetic opioids heralds a new phase of the opioid crisis. However, limited information exists on the toxic effects of these drugs, aside from a propensity for respiratory depression. With restricted research availability of nitazenes, we used machine-learning-based tools to evaluate five nitazene compounds' interaction potential with the hERG potassium channel, a key drug antitarget in the heart. All nitazenes were predicted to inhibit hERG with low μM IC₅₀ values. These findings indicate a potential for proarrhythmic hERG block by nitazene opioids, warranting detailed cardiac safety evaluations of these drugs.