Sw. Chen et al., EVIDENCE FOR MU(1)-OPIOID RECEPTOR INVOLVEMENT IN FENTANYL-MEDIATED RESPIRATORY DEPRESSION, European journal of pharmacology, 312(2), 1996, pp. 241-244
Several fentanyl analogs (Bagley et al., 1989, J. Med. Chem. 32, 663)
were compared to fentanyl and morphine for their effects on respirator
y depression as determined by arterial blood gas (pH, pCO(2) and pO(2)
) measurements. Fentanyl (0.1 mg/kg), morphine (10 mg/kg), #16 n-2-yl)
-N-(methoxymethylcarbonyl)amino]piperidine, 1 mg/kg), #17 -4-[N-(pyrid
in-2-yl)-N-(2-furoyI)amino]piperidine, 0.5 mg/kg) and #29 -yl)-N-(meth
oxy-mehtylcarbonylyl)amino]piperidine, 10 mg/kg) produced significant
respiratory depression in rats. Pretreatment with the mu(1)-opioid rec
eptor selective antagonist, naloxonazine (10 mg/kg), blocked the respi
ratory effect of fentanyl and its analogs, but not that of morphine. T
he results suggest that the mu(1)-opioid receptor plays an important r
ole in the respiratory effects of fentanyl and its analogs. Hence, the
mechanism of fentanyl-induced respiratory depression appears to be di
stinct from that produced by morphine. The most likely explanation for
this difference is the possible contribution of muscle rigidity and c
atalepsy to the observed changes in blood gas parameters caused by the
fentanyl analogs, while the respiratory depression of morphine, measu
red by these same parameters, appears to be independent of its effect
on muscle rigidity.