Modulation of synaptosomal free intracellular calcium in naive and morphine-tolerant mice: correlation of calcium modulation in vitro and in vivo to tolerance development.
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Animals↗
Biomedical subjects
W L Dewey
Publications and source records attributed to W L Dewey.
Studies on the mechanism of hypoglycemia induced by intrathecal morphine: dissociation from behavioral effects, effects of tolerance and depletion of liver glycogen.
To characterize further the hypoglycemic effect of intrathecally (i.t.) administered morphine, species and drug specificity, effects of morphine-induced tolerance and pentobarbital-induced anesthesia and effects on liver glycogen were studied in nonfasted animals. In rats, morphine (125 micrograms i.t.) produced the same behavioral toxicity (scratching, biting, seizures) and hypoglycemia as previously reported in mice. In mice, the glycine antagonist strychnine (5 micrograms i.t.) and the morphine metabolite morphine-3-glucuronide (2 micrograms i.t.) mimicked the behavioral, but not the hypoglycemic, effects of high-dose i.t. morphine. Kainic acid (0.1 micrograms i.t.), which caused high-frequency hindlimb movements, also did not cause hypoglycemia. Naltrexone (1 mg/kg/ s.c.) or the s.c. implantation of morphine pellets for 3 days attenuated the hypoglycemic effect, but not the behavioral effects, of morphine (40 micrograms i.t.). The hyperglycemic effect of s.c. morphine(20 mg/kg) was blocked by i.t. morphine. Anesthesia with pentobarbital (75 mg/kg i.p.) attenuated the hypoglycemic effect of morphine (40 micrograms i.t.). Morphine i.t. also caused a time- and dose-dependent decrease in liver glycogen levels and was more potent in causing glycogenolysis (30 min ED50 = 19 micrograms) than in causing hypoglycemia (30 min ED50 = 30 micrograms). It is concluded that the hypoglycemic effect of i.t. morphine appears to be independent of its behavioral effects, displays tolerance and is accompanied by hepatic glycogen depletion.
Animals↗
Antagonism of antinociception in mice by glucose and fructose: comparison of subcutaneous and intrathecal morphine.
Determination of the ED50s of glucose and fructose, administered i.p., for antagonizing the antinociceptive action of morphine (4 mg/kg s.c. or 0.5 micrograms i.t.) and determination of the ED50s for i.t. morphine after i.p. pretreatment with saline, glucose (5 g/kg) or fructose (5 g/kg) in the mouse tail-flick test indicated that fructose was more potent than glucose in antagonizing antinociception after either route or morphine administration. It is concluded that the antagonism of morphine-induced antinociception by glucose and fructose is due to a direct effect of these sugars or their metabolic products within the central nervous system.
Analgesics↗
Interaction of morphine with intrathecally administered calcium and calcium antagonists: evidence for supraspinal endogenous opioid mediation of intrathecal calcium-induced antinociception in mice.
The interaction between morphine [i.p. and intrathecal (i.t.)] and calcium and its antagonists (i.t. and i.c.v.) was studied in the mouse tail-flick test for antinociception. Calcium (0.66 mumol i.t.) produced antinociception comparable to that of morphine (0.5 microgram i.t.) but had a significantly longer duration. A lower dose of calcium (0.16 mumol i.t.) significantly potentiated morphine (0.2 and 0.5 micrograms i.t.). The antinociceptive effect of i.p. morphine was also potentiated by i.t. calcium, but was antagonized by the i.t. administration of ethylene glycol bis(beta-aminoethyl ether)-N,N'-tetraacetic acid (3.7-7.5 nmol), verapamil (15 micrograms), magnesium (9.4 nmol) and barium (1-2 nmol). In contrast, i.t. calcium and i.p. morphine were significantly potentiated by the i.c.v. administration of verapamil (15 micrograms) and antagonized by i.c.v. calcium (0.33 mumol). The antinociceptive effect of i.t. calcium was antagonized by naloxone administered s.c. (1 mg/kg) or i.c.v. (0.5 microgram), but not i.t. (0.5 and 10 microgram). It is concluded that the antinociceptive effect of i.t. calcium is mediated, at least partly, by a reflex supraspinal release of endogenous opioids, and that the administration of calcium and its antagonists modify the antinociceptive effect of morphine in opposite directions, depending upon whether they are administered by the i.t. or i.c.v. routes. Calcium may serve as a useful adjunct for opioid-induced analgesia via the i.t. route.
Analgesics↗
An investigation of the antinociceptive activity of calcitonin gene-related peptide alone and in combination with morphine: correlation to 45Ca++ uptake by synaptosomes.
A 5- or 30-min incubation of synaptosomes with calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) (10(-6), 10(-7), 10(-8) M) produced increases in 45Ca++ uptake upon depolarization of the synaptosomes, whereas a naloxone-reversible decrease in 45Ca++ uptake was seen after a 1-hr incubation with CGRP. Morphine-induced (10(-6) M) decreases in 45Ca++ uptake were reversed by simultaneous 5-min incubation of synaptosomes with CGRP (10(-6) M) and were enhanced by a 1-hr preincubation of the synaptosomes with CGRP (10(-6) M). CGRP produced naloxone-reversible antinociception in both the p-phenylquinone and hot-plate tests at 1 hr after i.c.v. administration, a time which corresponds to the peak CGRP-induced decrease in 45Ca++ uptake. CGRP (0.02 microgram through 40 micrograms i.c.v.) failed to produce antinociception in the tail-flick test. However, 30-min pretreatment of mice with CGRP (2 micrograms i.c.v.), a time point corresponding to a CGRP-induced increase in 45Ca++ uptake in vitro, significantly antagonized morphine-induced antinociception in the tail-flick test. A 1-hr pretreatment of mice with CGRP (2 micrograms i.c.v.), a time point in which a CGRP-induced decrease in 45Ca++ uptake was observed, slightly potentiated morphine in the tail-flick and hot-plate tests, but not in the p-phenylquinone test. The effects of CGRP on Ca++ uptake are suggestive of, but do not entirely predict, its activity in vivo and in vitro.
Analgesics↗
Differential effects of subcutaneous and intrathecal morphine administration on blood glucose in mice: comparison with intracerebroventricular administration.
The s.c. administration of morphine (2.5-80 mg/kg) produced a dose-dependent hyperglycemia, whereas morphine (12.5-50 micrograms) given i.t. in the lumbar region caused a dose-dependent hypoglycemia in unanesthetized mice. Both effects on blood glucose were antagonized by s.c. naloxone, although inhibition of i.t. morphine required a higher naloxone dose. Naloxone pretreatment with 2 mg/kg, but not 1 mg/kg s.c., potentiated a hyperglycemic response to i.t. saline. High i.t. doses of morphine caused an early (within 2 min) scratching behavior that was not inhibited by naloxone or glucose loading and a later (greater than 20 min) tonic convulsive behavior (opisthotonus). Lethality was partially inhibited by glucose loading which delayed, but did not prevent, the hypoglycemic effect of i.t. morphine. The hypoglycemic effect of i.t. morphine was also delayed in streptozotocin-diabetic ICR mice and diabetic (db/db) C57BL/KsJ mice, but the latter were more sensitive to lethality, which occurred without hypoglycemia or seizures. All these effects of i.t. morphine were completely blocked by acute spinal transection of T10-T11, but the nociceptive, hypoglycemic and opisthotonic effects were not mimicked by i.c.v. morphine (6.25-50 micrograms) in ICR mice, which showed a bell-shaped hyperglycemic dose-response relationship and a brief explosive motor behavior at the higher doses (25-50 micrograms). It is concluded that the effects of morphine on blood glucose and on behavior are dependent upon the route of administration, and that the convulsive effect of i.t. morphine may be facilitated by the production of a profound hypoglycemia, which involves a spinal, rather than supraspinal or systemic, action of morphine.
Animals↗
Cardiovascular effects of delta 9- and delta 9(11)-tetrahydrocannabinol and their interaction with epinephrine.
The administration of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (delta 9-THC, 0.078-5.0 mg/kg, i.v.) to rats anesthetized with pentobarbital caused as much as a 50% decrease in mean arterial blood pressure, heart rate and respiratory rate in a dose-dependent manner. Delta-9(11)-tetrahydrocannabinol (delta 9(11)-THC) was approximately 8-fold less potent than delta 9-THC in its hypotensive effect and had smaller effects on heart and respiratory rates that were not dose-related at doses below 5 mg/kg. Alternate injections of epinephrine (2 micrograms/kg) with vehicle and increasing cannabinoid doses (1.25-5.0 mg/kg) indicated a potentiation of both the duration of the pressor effect and the magnitude of the reflex bradycardic effect of epinephrine by both delta 9- and delta 9(11)-THC. Epinephrine also produced arrhythmias in rats receiving cannabinoids, but not in rats receiving alternate injections of vehicle. It is concluded that both cannabinoids have adverse effects on the cardiovascular system and adverse interactions with epinephrine in rats anesthetized with pentobarbital.
Animals↗
Effects of pyrazolopyridines and a triazolopyridazine on the pentobarbital discriminative stimulus.
Rats were trained to discriminate injections of racemic pentobarbital (5.0 mg/kg) from saline in a two-lever drug discrimination task. After stable discrimination performance was attained, stimulus generalization studies were conducted with another barbiturate (barbital), benzodiazepine derivatives (diazepam and chlordiazepoxide), pyrazolopyridine derivatives (etazolate, cartazolate, and tracazolate), and a triazolopyridazine (CL 218, 872). The pentobarbital stimulus generalized to all of these compounds, except cartazolate. In addition, the administration of the benzodiazepine receptor antagonist flumazepil prior to benzodiazepine or triazolopyridazine administration produced a dose-related antagonism of each generalization. In contrast, the administration of flumazepil before barbiturate or pyrazolopyridine (i.e., etazolate or tracazolate) injection resulted in no attenuation of these generalizations. The results indicate that while certain barbiturates, benzodiazepines, pyrazolopyridines and triazolopyridazines are capable of producing similar stimulus effects, the behavioral actions of these agents can be differentiated on the basis of their susceptibility to antagonism by flumazepil.
Animals↗
Increased cerebrospinal fluid beta-endorphin immunoreactivity in infants with apnea and in siblings of victims of sudden infant death syndrome.
To gain further insight into the possible role of endogenous opioid peptides in the respiratory difficulties associated with the apnea of infancy and other disorders possibly related to apnea, the levels of beta-endorphin immunoreactivity were measured in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of five groups of infants: (1) infants with proved apnea, (2) infants with histories of an apparent life-threatening event (ALTE), (3) siblings of victims of the sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), (4) infants with suspected but unproved apnea, and (5) infants undergoing investigation for other acute illnesses. Twenty-two infants considered at risk for an ALTE (groups 1 to 3) had significantly higher CSF beta-endorphin equivalents (88 +/- 7 pg/mL) than did the 22 control patients in groups 4 and 5 (31 +/- 3 pg/mL). Plasma beta-endorphin immunoreactivity, which was also measured in some of the infants, did not correlate with levels in CSF and, in fact, was significantly lower in the groups at risk for an ALTE (50 +/- 9 pg/mL; n = 14) than in the control subjects (80 +/- 6 pg/mL; n = 11). These studies indicate that elevated beta-endorphin immunoreactivity in CSF may be a marker in infants who have apnea and who may be considered at risk for an ALTE.
Adult↗
Effect of sleep loss on beta-endorphin activity, epinephrine levels, and ventilatory responsiveness.
Sleep loss impairs ventilatory responsiveness to hypercapnia and hypoxia, and also interferes with performance on spirometry. To test the hypothesis that the decline in hypercapnic drive due to sleep loss is mediated by endorphin production, we measured loaded and unloaded CO2 response after injection of placebo and naloxone in 11 normal subjects who were alternately rested and sleep-deprived. Blood for beta-endorphin and epinephrine assay was drawn before testing each day. Unloaded CO2 response was lower after sleep loss than after sleep restoration; naloxone had no effect on this difference. Likewise, there was no difference between CO2 response after naloxone administration and CO2 response in control subjects. beta-Endorphin activity did not rise after sleep loss. Loaded CO2 response was reduced compared to unloaded response and was not affected by sleep loss or by naloxone. The serum epinephrine level rose significantly with sleep loss. We conclude that naloxone is not a respiratory stimulant in normal people, and that it does not reverse the fall in CO2 response that follows sleep loss.
Adolescent↗
Effects of glucose and diabetes on binding of naloxone and dihydromorphine to opiate receptors in mouse brain.
The effects of glucose and diabetes on the high-affinity lofentanil-displaceable opiate-receptor binding in mouse brain membranes were studied to determine if the attenuation of opiate actions by hyperglycemia previously observed in our laboratory was due to a modification of receptor affinity or number. With membranes from normal ICR mice, glucose (100-400 mg/dl) caused small but significant concentration-dependent decreases in receptor affinities for [3H]naloxone and [3H]dihydromorphine, both in the absence and presence of 20 mM NaCl, without changing the maximum number of binding sites. Fructose and the nonmetabolizable sugar 3-O-methylglucose had intermediate effects on naloxone affinity in the presence of NaCl that were not significantly different from control or from the effect of glucose. Similar results were obtained with brain membranes from streptozocin-induced diabetic mice. The binding affinity for [3H]naloxone in the presence of NaCl was not affected by the induction of diabetes in ICR mice via streptozocin or in spontaneously diabetic (db/db) C57BL/KsJ mice compared with their nondiabetic (m+/m+) littermates. These results indicate that the previously observed attenuation of opiate effects by glucose may be partly due to a glucose-induced decrease in opiate-receptor affinity. However, the much greater attenuation of morphine by fructose in vivo cannot be explained by this mechanism.
3-O-Methylglucose↗
Increased plasma beta-endorphin immunoreactivity in scuba divers after submersion.
Increased plasma beta-endorphin immunoreactivity in scuba divers after submersion. Med. Sci. Sports Exerc., Vol. 19, No. 2, pp. 87-90, 1987. After submersion under water in a motionless state of neutral buoyancy, scuba divers frequently report feelings of well-being or euphoria similar to those reported after strenuous exercise. Since strenuous exercise is associated with a stress-related increase in plasma beta-endorphin immunoreactivity (beta-EIR), this study was undertaken to measure plasma beta-EIR after submersion in a state of neutral buoyancy under conditions that do not involve strenuous exercise or other extreme stresses. Plasma beta-EIR was measured by radioimmunoassay in male scuba divers before and immediately after remaining motionless 10 ft under water in a state of neutral buoyancy. A significant (P less than 0.01) increase in plasma beta-EIR was found under these conditions. Venipuncture and scuba breathing out of the water did not alter beta-EIR levels. These results indicate that the milder stress associated with submersion in a state of neutral buoyancy involves an increase in plasma beta-EIR similar to that caused by severe stress.
Diving↗
Effects of cannabinoids on levels of acetylcholine and choline and on turnover rate of acetylcholine in various regions of the mouse brain.
The psychoactive cannabinoids, delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol (delta 9-THC), delta 8-tetrahydrocannabinol (delta 8-THC), 11-hydroxy-delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol (11-OH-delta 9-THC) and 9-nor-9 beta-hydroxyhexahydrocannabinol (beta-HHC), as well as the nonpsychoactive cannabinoids, cannabinol (CBN), cannabidiol (CBD), abnormal CBD, delta 8-THC methyl ether (1-OCH3-delta 8-THC) and 9-nor-9 alpha-hydroxyhexahydrocannabinol (alpha-HHC), were used to assess the role of cholinergic mechanisms in the different behavioral actions of these cannabinoids. Their effects on mouse brain choline and acetylcholine (ACh) levels and on ACh turnover were determined in cortex, hippocampus, striatum, midbrain and medulla-pons. delta 9-THC (30 mg/kg) caused a significant elevation of ACh in all five brain areas. 11-OH-delta 9-THC (30 mg/kg) increased ACh in hippocampus, striatum and midbrain. delta 8-THC (30 mg/kg) increased ACh in cortex and hippocampus. delta 9-THC and 11-OH-delta 9-THC increased choline in midbrain and cortex, whereas beta-HHC increased choline in all areas, except hippocampus, at a dose of 30 mg/kg. Also at this dose, delta 9-THC, 11-OH-delta 9-THC, delta 8-THC and beta-HHC decreased ACh turnover in the hippocampus, as did CBN (10-30 mg/kg), 1-OCH3-delta 8-THC (100 mg/kg) and alpha-HHC (100 mg/kg). ACh turnover was also decreased in midbrain by 1-OCH3-delta 8-THC and in the striatum by alpha-HHC. Thus, the most consistent effects of cannabinoids, both psychotomimetic and nonpsychotomimetic, were to increase ACh and decrease ACh turnover in the hippocampus.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Acetylcholine↗
Potencies of diazepam metabolites in rats trained to discriminate diazepam.
The dose-response relationships of diazepam and several of its metabolites were determined in rats trained to discriminate diazepam (3 mg/kg) from saline in a two-lever operant choice task. Generalization of the diazepam stimulus was found to occur with temazepam and oxazepam, which were nearly equipotent with diazepam, and also with desmethyldiazepam, which was about half as potent as diazepam. The hydroxylated metabolites, 4'-hydroxydiazepam and 4'-hydroxydesmethyldiazepam were inactive in doses up to 12 mg/kg. These results show that some diazepam metabolites are quite potent behaviorally and indicate the possibility that these metabolites may contribute to the pharmacological effect of diazepam in vivo.
Animals↗
Effects of beta-funaltrexamine (beta-FNA) on morphine dependence in rats and monkeys.
The opioid mu receptor antagonist beta-funaltrexamine (beta-FNA) blocked the development of physical dependence in rats when infused simultaneously with morphine for 6 days. In addition, beta-FNA given s.c. 24 h prior to the initiation and on day 3 of a 6 day period of morphine infusion in rats reduced the development of physical dependence in a dose-dependent manner. In morphine-dependent rhesus monkeys, beta-FNA precipitated a prompt and long-lasting withdrawal, which was not reversed within 30 h by subsequent injections of morphine. In contrast, naloxone-induced withdrawal lasted approximately 90 min. These results provide further evidence that beta-FNA is a long-acting antagonist of the opioid mu receptor, and that this receptor has a major role in the development of morphine-induced physical dependence.
Animals↗
The spinal cord as a major site for the antinociceptive action of nicotine in the rat.
These studies were conducted to localize the antinociceptive action of nicotine within the CNS. Antinociceptive and biodispositional studies were carried out after the injection of [3H]nicotine subcutaneously and intracerebroventricularly into the common carotid and vertebral arteries and into the subarachnoid space. The data indicated that [3H]nicotine was most potent when given into the subarachnoid space than by any of the other route of administration. Further, the disposition studies showed that [3H]nicotine was almost entirely contained in the thoracic and lumbar areas. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that the spinal cord is an important site for antinociception induced by nicotine.
Analgesia↗
The role of endogenous peptides in the action of opioid analgesics.
The observation that the narcotic antagonist naloxone could inhibit analgesia produced by electrical stimulation of the brain indicated the involvement of an endogenous chemical in the relief of pain. Multiple endogenous opioid peptides have been identified that have similar pharmacological properties to known narcotic analgesics. The biosynthesis, release, and degradation of opioid peptides have been studied in order to better understand how the manipulation of endogenous opioid systems can be used to produce or augment analgesia. The results of our studies reveal that various conditions and manipulations, such as electrical brain stimulation, acupuncture, stress, and the administration of opioid analgesics, can cause the release of endogenous opioid peptides and possibly endogenous nonpeptide substances. It has also been discovered that nonopioid peptides, such as cholecystokinin, calcitonin, and angiotensin II, can alter the action of opioid analgesics by antagonizing or potentiating their effects. An understanding of the role of endogenous peptides in endogenous opioid mechanisms is necessary for the development of new ways to treat pain and such other disorders as sleep apnea in children (sudden infant death syndrome), head injury, and opioid addiction that involve the activation or alteration of endogenous opioid systems.
Analgesia↗
The central and peripheral effects of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol on gastrointestinal transit in mice.
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Animals↗