Distinct effect of intracerebroventricular and intrathecal injections of nociceptin/orphanin FQ in the rat formalin test

Nociceptin/orphanin FQ (nociceptin/OFQ), a newly discovered heptadecapeptide has been regarded as an endogenous ligand for orphan opioid receptor. The present study was designed to investigate the effect of nociceptin/OFQ on pain response and opioid analgesia in the rat formalin test. The results showed that intracerebroventricular injection of 1 microg nociceptin/OFQ enhanced the pain response, and 0.1 or 0.5 microg nociceptin/OFQ had no effect on formalin-induced pain. When 0.1 or 1 microg nociceptin/OFQ were used together with mu-, delta-, or kappa-opioid receptor agonists, endomorphin-1, DSLET or U50488H, respectively, it attenuated mu- and kappa- but not delta-receptor mediated analgesia. On the other hand, intrathecal injection of nociceptin/OFQ (0.1, 1 and 5 microg) reduced the pain response in the formalin test. In conclusion, nociceptin/OFQ potentiated formalin-induced pain response and antagonized opioid analgesia in the rat brain but inhibited pain response in the spinal cord.     

Naltrindole,an opioid delta receptor antagonist,blocks cocaine-induced facilitation of responding for rewarding brain stimulation

Recent experimental results have led to the suggestion that opioid antagonists can modulate the reinforcing properties of cocaine. In this experiment, rats were fixed with chronically indwelling bipolar electrodes for stimulation of the medial forebrain bundle (MFB) as it courses through the hypothalamus. Rats were taught to press a lever for brief trains of electrical stimulation of the MFB. Subsequently, they were allowed to press for varying intensities of stimulation daily until their response rates were stable. Cocaine (5 mg/kg, s.c.) enhanced the rate of pressing for lower intensities of brain stimulation. Naltrindole (3 mg/kg, i.p.) had no effect on response rate alone but blocked the cocaine-induced facilitation of pressing for rewarding brain stimulation. An implication that can be drawn from these data is that naltrindole, or other delta-selective opioid antagonists, might be effective as medicines for use in treating cocaine abuse.     

Non-opioid analgesia of the neuropeptide, neo-kyotorphin and possible mediation by inhibition of GABA release in the mouse brain

The novel neuropeptide, neo-kyotorphin, produced a naloxone-resistant analgesia in the tail pinch test when given (IC) to mice. Pretreatments with implantation of a morphine pellet or with phentolamine (10 micrograms IT) or with reserpine (10 mg/kg SC) did not attenuate this analgesia, yet the analgesia was antagonized by GABA mimetics, such as muscimol (0.1 microgram IC), nipecotic acid (100 mg/kg IP). Neo-kyotorphin inhibited the Ca2+-dependent and depolarization-evoked release of 3H-GABA, from crude synaptosomes of the lower brain stem of rats. These findings suggest that inhibition of GABA in the brain may in part be involved in neo-kyotorphin-induced analgesia.     

Significance of the hypothalamus opioid system in the mechanism of morphine analgesia

It has been demonstrated in experiments on conscious rabbits that microinjections of nalorphine to the paraventricular area of the hypothalamus blocked morphine analgesia assessed from the tail-flick test and evoked potential variation in the sensorimotor area of the brain cortex in response to nociceptive electrocutaneous stimulation. An analogous but less powerful effect was produced by nalorphine injected into the large raphe nucleus. It is assumed that morphine analgesia is primarily mediated by opioid structures of the hypothalamus.     

强啡肽A和CCK—8对大鼠脊髓突触小体摄取^45Ca的影响

为了探讨血管紧张素Ⅱ(AⅡ)和八肽胆囊收缩素(CCK-8)这两种肽的抗阿片作用机理,本实验中观察了三种阿片类物质(吗啡、强啡肽和 DPDPE)和两种抗阿片物质(AⅡ和 CCK-8)对大鼠脊髓突触小体摄取~(45) Ca 的影响。结果表明:(1)在脊髓腹柱突触小体上,10nmol/L—1μmol/L 的吗啡、强啡肽 A(Dyn A)和 DPDPE 对~(45)Ca 摄取均有较弱的抑制作用;(2)CCK-8在浓度高达lμmol/L 时对~(45)Ca 摄取有较弱的抑制作用;(3)AⅡ在浓度高达lμmol/L时也不影响腹柱突触小体摄取~(45)Ca;(4)在背柱的突触小体制备中,上述阿片物质中 Dyn A 对~(45)Ca 摄取有较强的抑制作用,并被 k 受体阻断剂 nor-BNI 所阻断。10和100nmol/L 的 CCK-8能翻转lμmol/L Dyn A 对~(45)Ca 摄取的抑制作用;(5)A Ⅱ不能翻转Dyn A 的抑制作用。以上结果提示,CCK-8阻断 Dyn A 抑制脊髓背柱突触小体摄取 Ca~(2+)的作用可能是其行为学中抗阿片作用的机理之一。AⅡ对脊髓 Ca~(2+)摄取和 Dyn A 抑制脊髓 Ca~(2+)摄取的作用皆无影响,与行为学中观察到的 AⅡ在脊髓内不能对抗阿片镇痛的现象一致,进一步说明 CCK-8和AⅡ拮抗阿片类物质对神经末梢 Ca~(2+)摄取的影响可能是其抗阿片作用的重要机理之一。     

Antagonism of morphine analgesia by CCK-8-S does not extend to all assays nor all opiate analgesics

The conditions under which CCK-8-S may block opiate-induced analgesia were examined in detail. A U-shaped dose-response relationship was observed for the ability of CCK-8-S to attenuate (by approximately 50%, at most) morphine-induced tail flick analgesia. The analgesic effects of morphine in the hot plate or acetic acid-induced stretching tests were not altered by CCK-8-S at doses that antagonized morphine in the tail flick test. Tail flick latency elevations induced by meptazinol, a putative mu-1 receptor agonist, were also attenuated by CCK-8-S according to a U-shaped dose-response relationship, but those induced by U-50,488, a kappa agonist, were not antagonized by CCK-8-S doses that attenuated morphine analgesia. Thus, the ability of CCK-8-S to antagonize opiate analgesia does not follow a conventional dose-response relationship, does not extend to all tests of analgesia and may not extend to all opioid drugs. Analgesia mediated by the mu-1 opioid receptor subtype may be more amenable to antagonism by CCK-8-S than that mediated by the kappa receptor subtype.     

八肽胆囊收缩素对抗mu和Kappa型受体介导的镇痛作用

以往的资料表明,八肽胆襄收缩素(CCK-8)能对抗阿片镇痛,本实验进一步分析 CCK-8对抗哪一类型阿片受体激动剂的镇痛作用。给大鼠脊髓蛛网膜下腔(I.T.)注射 CCK-8(剂量4ng到1.0μg)既不产生痛敏也不产生镇痛。I.T.注射特异性的μ受体激动剂 PL01710 ng 或 k 受体激动剂 NDA P500 ng 引起的镇痛作用可被注射 CCK-8 4ng 所对抗。而L.T.注射δ受体激动剂 DPDPE(6.5,13.0和26.Oμg)引起的镇痛作用不能被 CCK-8(4ng,40ng I.T.)所对抗。但 CCK-8对抗 PL017和 NDAP 镇痛的作用可被 I.T.CCK 受体拮抗剂 proglumide(3μg)所翻转。以上结果表明,I.T.注射 CCK-8可有效地对抗μ和 k 受体介导的镇痛,并且这种对抗作用是经 CCK 受体介导而实现的。     

NMDA receptor antagonism produces antinociception which is partially mediated by brain opioids and dopamine.

Inhibition of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) activity results in opioid-mediated supraspinal analgesia in the rat, as indicated by increased reaction time in the hot plate test. It is documented that a relationship exists between NMDA receptor activation and the activity of NOS. The present investigation sought to determine if inactivation of the NMDA receptor produced antinociception of supraspinal origin, as was observed in response to inhibition of NOS, and if this response was mediated by brain opioids, by activation of receptors for the neurotransmitter, dopamine, or both. Administration of MK-801, a non-competitive antagonist of the NMDA receptor, produced significant antinociception as measured by reaction time in the hot plate test of analgesia. Antinociception resulting from treatment with MK-801 appeared to be mediated by brain opioids, as indicated by the ability of the opioid antagonist, naloxone, to partially reverse the effect of MK-801 administration. This analgesic response was also partially diminished by administration of the dopamine D1 receptor antagonist, SCH 23390 and the dopamine D2 receptor antagonist, sulpiride. The analgesia resulting from NMDA receptor antagonism was found to be only partially attributable to dopamine and brain opioids, since co-administration of naloxone and SCH 23390 or naloxone and sulpiride, were unable to completely reverse the antinociceptive response to MK-801. The present findings suggest that inhibition of NMDA receptor activity produces supraspinal analgesia. Furthermore, it appears that antinociception induced by blockade of the NMDA receptor results, at least in part, from activation of endogenous brain opioids and stimulation of D1 and D2 subtypes of the dopamine receptor.     

孤啡肽在大鼠脑内对抗吗啡镇痛

脑内全新的阿片受体样受体（１９９４）及其内源性配体孤啡肽（１９９５）的发现形成了中枢神经系统阿片／抗阿片相互关系的研究领域中一个新的推动力。基于它们与阿片家族的高同源性及在脑内痛觉整合相关区域的丰富表达,本实验观察了ＯＦＱ在大鼠脑内对吗啡镇痛作用的影响。结果表明：（１）ＯＦＱ可以对抗脑室注射生理盐水引起的镇痛,后者可能是一种由内源性阿片系统介导的应激镇痛。（２）脑室注射ＯＦＱ在很大的剂量范围（４０     

Comparison between naloxone reversal of morphine and electrical stimulation induced analgesia in the rat mesencephalon

Comparisons were made between the efficacy of naloxone to reverse analgesia induced by electrical stimulation (SPA) of the periaqueductal gray matter and analgesia induced by microinjections of morphine into the same brain region. Naloxone at 1 or 10 mg/kg was ineffective in antagonizing SPA during the first two minutes post-stimulation. Although some antagonism did appear 3–5 minutes after stimulation, the effect was neither consistent nor dose-dependent. Morphine, on the other hand, was antagonized in a dose-dependent and complete fashion by naloxone. The assumption that similar mechanisms underlie both opiate and electrical stimulation induced analgesia is discussed.     

吗啡和血管紧张素II对大鼠脑突触小体Ca^2＋摄取的拮抗效应

Behavioral observations have repeatedly shown that the analgesic effect of morphine can be antagonized by intracerebroventricular injection of angiotensin I (A I), although mechanisms underlying the action were obscure. Since a prevention of Ca2+ uptake into the nerve terminals was considered as one of the mechanisms for morphine analgesia, we examined the effect of A I and morphine on the 45Ca uptake by rat brain synaptosomal preparations. Morphine of 10(-8)-10(-6) mol/L produced a dose-related suppression on synaptosomal 45Ca uptake, which was completely reversed by the opioid antagonist naloxone of 10(-6) mol/L. A I of 10(-8)-10(-6) mol/L, on the contrary, enhanced 45Ca uptake. This effect was totally abolished by saralasin, a A I antagonist, at 10(-6) mol/L. When synaptosomal preparations were incubated in a mixture of morphine (10(-6) mol/L) and A I (10(-8)-10(-6) mol/L), the effect of morphine was almost completely reversed. The results suggest that the distinct effect of A I may account for, at least in part, the antagonistic effect of A I on morphine analgesia.     

Analgesic effects of ethylketocyclazocine and morphine in rat and toad

We have previously found rat and toad (Bufo marinus) brain to contain inverse ratios of benzomorphan-preferring (kappa/sigma) and morphine-preferring (mu) opioid receptor types. The aim of the present study was to compare in vivo pharmacologic activity of a benzomorphan, ethylketocyclazocine (EKC) and morphine sulfate (MS) in rat and toad. Footshock intensity thresholds for eliciting locomotion were determined and dose-response curves for EKC and MS analgesia were obtained. Drugs were injected subcutaneously. In rats (high mu, low kappa in brain), both compounds produced analgesia and displayed similar sensitivity to naloxone antagonism. The analgesic effects of EKC and MS may, therefore, be mediated by a common receptor type (mu) in this pain test in rats. In toads (high kappa, low mu in brain), MS produced naloxone-reversible analgesia at doses 20-fold higher than were effective in rats. Toads did not display EKC analgesia at doses below those producing motor impairment. Moreover, 50-fold higher doses were required to produce such impairment in toads. Thirty minutes following subcutaneous injection of 3H-EKC, similar concentrations were found in rat and toad brain. Uptake into brain is probably not a factor in the behavioral resistance of toads to EKC.     

Behavioral effects and in vivo degradation of intraventricularly administered dynorphin-(1-13) and D-Ala2-dynorphin-(1-11) in rats

Lateral intraventricular (LV) or cerebral aqueduct (CA) administration of the opioid peptide, dynorphin-(1-13), induced catalepsy and analgesia in rats. Onset was earlier and duration shorter than with morphine or β_c-endorphin. The dose required to induce analgesia was reduced at least tenfold when dynorphin-(1-13) was administered into CA rather than LV. An analogue, D-Ala²-dynorphin-(1-11), was more stable than dynorphin-(1-13) in brain, and produced a comparable degree of catalepsy and even more profound analgesia at one-tenth the dose. These effects of dynorphin-(1-13) and D-Ala²-dynorphin-(1-11) were significantly antagonized by naloxone pretreatment. Rats treated with dynorphin-(1-13) or a high dose of D-Ala²-dynorphin-(1-11) exhibited bizarre postures immediately following LV administration, with limb rigidity and “barrel-rolling”. These effects were not blocked by naloxone.     

Soman and sarin induce a long-lasting naloxone-reversible analgesia in mice

Soman (50 micrograms/kg) and sarin (120 micrograms/kg), potent organophosphate anticholinesterase agents, produced an analgesic response in the mouse hotplate latency test. Naloxone antagonized but did not completely reverse the soman- and sarin-induced analgesia, whereas atropine antagonized completely the soman-and sarin-induced analgesia. Soman poisoning did not potentiate morphine-induced analgesia. It was simply an additive response. In survivors of soman (287 micrograms/kg) poisoning, the analgesia was more pronounced and was still apparent 96 hr after administration. This analgesia was completely antagonized by naloxone. Similar results were found in survivors of sarin (510 micrograms/kg) poisoning. The organophosphate-induced analgesia was not due to physical incapacitation as evidenced by performance on the accelerating rotorod. It is suggested that the organophosphate-induced analgesia is due to a combination of an increased concentration of acetylcholine due to inhibition of acetylcholinesterase combined with a reduced destruction of endogenous opioid-like substances due to organophosphate inhibition of proteases.     

Role of the somatic monoaminergic systems in the mechanisms of regulation of pain sensitivity during reflex stimulation

Experiments on rats were performed to study the role of the monoaminergic systems in the mechanisms of analgesia produced by stress (foot shock) and auricular electroacupuncture (AEA). Analgesia was measured by the hot-plate (HP) and the tail-flick (TF) tests. Inhibition of catecholamine synthesis with alpha-methyl-p-tyrosine (alpha-MPT) antagonized the AEA-induced analgesia measured by the TF test. alpha-MPT did not influence the HP test latency after AEA, and HP or TF tests after stress. Inhibition of dopamine receptors by haloperidol produced a decrease in the stress- and AEA-induced analgesia. The similar effects were demonstrated in propranolol treated rats after AEA. P-chlorophenylalanine (an inhibitor of serotonin synthesis) suppressed the stress-induced analgesia measured by the HP test and AEA-induced analgesia measured by the HP or TF tests. The data indicate that the monoaminergic systems are involved in the stress- and AEA-induced analgesia. Apart from the monoaminergic systems, other neurochemical mechanisms are also involved in the stress- and AEA-induced analgesia.     

Reversal of the antinociceptive effects of centrally-administered morphine by the benzodiazepine receptor antagonist Ro 15-1788

The effects of the benzodiazepine receptor antagonist, Ro 15-1788, were examined on analgesia induced by morphine after central (intracerebroventricular, i.c.v., or intrathecal, i.t.) and systemic administration. Analgesia was assessed in squirrel monkeys trained to respond under an electric shock tiltration procedure and in mice using the radiant heat tail-flick test. Central and systemic administration of morphine produced antinociceptive effects that were antagonized by 0.1 mg/kg of naloxone in both species. Ro 15-1788 antagonized the effects of morphine after central (i.c.v. or i.t.) administration but did not alter the effects of morphine given by the systemic route. This novel interaction suggests that Ro 15-1788 may be useful in pharmacologically separating neural substrates subserving opiate analgesia.     

Retro-nociceptin methylester, a peptide with analgesic and memory-enhancing activity

Retro-nociceptin methylester (retro-Noc-ME), which has an oppositely directed structure to that of nociceptin, showed weak affinity for nociceptin receptor and antagonized nociceptin-induced inhibition of contraction in a guinea pig ileum (GPI) assay. The peptide induced analgesia after intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) administration at a dose of 100 nmol per mouse. Analgesia was not blocked by the opioid antagonist naloxone, which suggests that the analgesia is not mediated by opioid receptor. Furthermore, analgesia caused by retro-Noc-ME was not attenuated after repeated administration, that is, there was an absence of tolerance. The peptide improved learning ability after i.c.v. administration in a step-through experiment in mice.     

Reversal of fentanyl/fluanisone neuroleptanalgesia in the rabbit using mixed agonist/antagonist opioids

The reversal of the neuroleptanalgesic combination of fentanyl/fluanisone using mixed agonist/antagonist opioids has been investigated in the rabbit. All of the compounds studied (naloxone, nalbuphine, meptazinol, butorphanol, buprenorphine, pentazocine, doxapram) reversed the respiratory depression and sedation produced by fentanyl/fluanisone. Fentanyl/fluanisone produced profound analgesia for 180 min, which was rapidly and completely antagonized by naloxone. The mixed agonist/antagonist opioids produced a reduction in the degree of analgesia but, in contrast to naloxone, analgesic activity persisted from 120 min (meptazinol) to 420 min (buprenorphine). Administration of buprenorphine to rabbits anaesthetized with fentanyl/fluanisone and midazolam confirmed that the reversal of respiratory depression was accompanied by the return of arterial pH, PCO2 and PCO2 to preanaesthetic values. The use of neuroleptanalgesic anaesthetic regimens, which have been shown to provide effective surgical anaesthesia, combined with reversal using a mixed agonist/antagonist opioid to provide postoperative analgesia, appears to be a valuable refinement of current laboratory animal anaesthetic practice.     

Isradipine in combination with naltrexone as a medicine for treating cocaine abuse

Rats were fixed with chronically indwelling electrodes for intracranial stimulation (ICS) of the medial forebrain bundle of the lateral hypothalamus. They were trained to press a bar in a Skinner box for the ICS. After stable rates of pressing for both a low and a high intensity of ICS were achieved during daily sessions, the rats were given doses of cocaine before the daily sessions. Cocaine produced its characteristic effect of enhancing rates of pressing. With continuance of daily sessions under the influence of cocaine, the rats received daily for 5 days a combination of isradipine and naltrexone. Doses of isradipine and naltrexone were smaller than a dose of either one that might modify pressing. The combination of isradipine and naltrexone blocked cocaine's enhancement of pressing for ICS. The same combination of isradipine and naltrexone did not reduce rates of pressing for ICS when cocaine was not given. These results indicate that a combination of isradipine and naltrexone is apt to be an effective pharmacological adjunct to other treatments for cocaine abuse.     

Effects of stress and beta-funal trexamine pretreatment on morphine analgesia and opioid binding in rats

This study was essentially an in vivo protection experiment designed to test further the hypothesis that stress induces release of endogenous opioids which then act at opioid receptors. Rats that were either subjected to restraint stress for 1 hr or unstressed were injected ICV with either saline or 2.5 micrograms of beta-funaltrexamine (beta-FNA), an irreversible opioid antagonist that alkylates the mu-opioid receptor. Twenty-four hours later, subjects were tested unstressed for morphine analgesia (tail-flick assay) or were sacrificed and opioid binding in brain was determined. [3H]D-Ala2NMePhe4-Gly5(ol)enkephalin (DAGO) served as a specific ligand for mu- opioid receptors, and [3H]-bremazocine as a general ligand for all opioid receptors. Rats injected with saline while stressed were significantly less sensitive to the analgesic action of morphine 24 hr later than were their unstressed counterparts. Beta-FNA pretreatment attenuated morphine analgesia in an insurmountable manner. Animals pretreated with beta-FNA while stressed were significantly more sensitive to the analgesic effect of morphine than were animals that received beta-FNA while unstressed, consistent with the hypothesis that stress induces release of endogenous opioids that would protect opioid receptors from alkylation by beta-FNA. beta-FNA caused small and similar decreases in [3H]-DAGO binding in brain of both stressed and unstressed animals. Stressed rats injected with saline tended to have increased levels of [3H]DAGO and [3H]-bremazocine binding compared to the other groups. This outcome may be relevant to the tolerance to morphine analgesia caused by stress.