Skip to main content
PMC home page
British Journal of Pharmacology logoLink to British Journal of Pharmacology
. 1990 Aug;100(4):685–688. doi: 10.1111/j.1476-5381.1990.tb14076.x

Antagonism of swim-stress-induced antinociception by the delta-opioid receptor antagonist naltrindole in adult and young rats.

I Kitchen 1, S R Pinker 1
PMCID: PMC1917588  PMID: 2169936

Abstract

1. The availability of the non-peptide delta-opioid receptor antagonist naltrindole has provided the possibility for in vivo studies on the function of delta-opioid receptors. We have studied the effects of naltrindole on swim-stress-induced antinociception in adult and neonatal rats. 2. Adult, 25 and 20 day old rats were stressed by warm water (20 degrees C) swimming for 3 min periods and antinociception was assessed by the tail immersion test (50 degrees C). 3. Naltrindole (0.5 and 1 mg kg-1) antagonized swim-stress-induced antinociception in adult and 25 day old rats but in 20 day old rats naltrindole (1 mg kg-1) was without effect. 4. Antinociception induced by the highly mu-opioid receptor selective agonist alfentanil was completely antagonized by naloxone (1 mg kg-1) but virtually unaffected by naltrindole (1 mg kg-1). 5. Neither naloxone nor naltrindole (1 mg kg-1) antagonized swim-stress-induced rises in plasma corticosterone in adult rats at the time of peak antinociception. 6. In conclusion, naltrindole shows in vivo antagonism of opioid-mediated responses. Swim-stress-induced antinociception is mediated through the delta-opioid receptor in 25 day old and adult rats and through the mu-opioid site in 20 day old animals.

Full text

PDF
685

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Akil H., Young E., Walker J. M., Watson S. J. The many possible roles of opioids and related peptides in stress-induced analgesia. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1986;467:140–153. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.1986.tb14625.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Cotton R., Giles M. G., Miller L., Shaw J. S., Timms D. ICI 174864: a highly selective antagonist for the opioid delta-receptor. Eur J Pharmacol. 1984 Jan 27;97(3-4):331–332. doi: 10.1016/0014-2999(84)90470-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Hart S. L., Slusarczyk H., Smith T. W. The effects of selective opioid delta-receptor antagonists on stress-induced antinociception and plasma corticosterone levels in mice. Neuropeptides. 1985 Feb;5(4-6):303–306. doi: 10.1016/0143-4179(85)90013-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Heyman J. S., Mulvaney S. A., Mosberg H. I., Porreca F. Opioid delta-receptor involvement in supraspinal and spinal antinociception in mice. Brain Res. 1987 Sep 8;420(1):100–108. doi: 10.1016/0006-8993(87)90244-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. JANSSEN P. A., NIEMEGEERS C. J., DONY J. G. The inhibitory effect of fentanyl and other morphine-like analgesics on the warm water induced tail withdrawl reflex in rats. Arzneimittelforschung. 1963 Jun;13:502–507. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Jackson H. C., Kitchen I. Swim-stress-induced antinociception in young rats. Br J Pharmacol. 1989 Mar;96(3):617–622. doi: 10.1111/j.1476-5381.1989.tb11860.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. James I. F., Goldstein A. Site-directed alkylation of multiple opioid receptors. I. Binding selectivity. Mol Pharmacol. 1984 May;25(3):337–342. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Kitchen I., McDowell J., Winder C., Wilson J. M. Low-level lead exposure alters morphine antinociception in neonatal rats. Toxicol Lett. 1984 Aug;22(2):119–123. doi: 10.1016/0378-4274(84)90054-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Kitchen I., Rowan K. M. Differences in the effects of mu- and delta-opioid receptor antagonists upon plasma corticosterone levels in stressed mice. Eur J Pharmacol. 1984 May 18;101(1-2):153–156. doi: 10.1016/0014-2999(84)90042-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Lewis J. W., Cannon J. T., Liebeskind J. C. Opioid and nonopioid mechanisms of stress analgesia. Science. 1980 May 9;208(4444):623–625. doi: 10.1126/science.7367889. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Lord J. A., Waterfield A. A., Hughes J., Kosterlitz H. W. Endogenous opioid peptides: multiple agonists and receptors. Nature. 1977 Jun 9;267(5611):495–499. doi: 10.1038/267495a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. McDowell J., Kitchen I. Ontogenesis of delta-opioid receptors in rat brain using [3H][D-Pen2,D-Pen5]enkephalin as a binding ligand. Eur J Pharmacol. 1986 Sep 9;128(3):287–289. doi: 10.1016/0014-2999(86)90780-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Paterson S. J., Robson L. E., Kosterlitz H. W. Classification of opioid receptors. Br Med Bull. 1983 Jan;39(1):31–36. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.bmb.a071787. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Portoghese P. S., Sultana M., Takemori A. E. Naltrindole, a highly selective and potent non-peptide delta opioid receptor antagonist. Eur J Pharmacol. 1988 Jan 27;146(1):185–186. doi: 10.1016/0014-2999(88)90502-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Rodriguez R. E., Leighton G., Hill R. G., Hughes J. In vivo evidence for spinal delta-opiate receptor operated antinociception. Neuropeptides. 1986 Oct;8(3):221–241. doi: 10.1016/0143-4179(86)90050-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Shaw J. S., Miller L., Turnbull M. J., Gormley J. J., Morley J. S. Selective antagonists at the opiate delta-receptor. Life Sci. 1982 Sep 20;31(12-13):1259–1262. doi: 10.1016/0024-3205(82)90356-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Williams J. G., Brown J. H., Pleuvry B. J. Alfentanil: a study of its analgesic activity and interactions with morphine in the mouse. Br J Anaesth. 1982 Jan;54(1):81–85. doi: 10.1093/bja/54.1.81. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Yeadon M., Kitchen I. Comparative binding of mu and delta selective ligands in whole brain and pons/medulla homogenates from rat: affinity profiles of fentanyl derivatives. Neuropharmacology. 1988 Apr;27(4):345–348. doi: 10.1016/0028-3908(88)90141-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from British Journal of Pharmacology are provided here courtesy of The British Pharmacological Society

RESOURCES