INHIBITION BY SPINAL MORPHINE OF THE TAIL-FLICK RESPONSE IS ATTENUATED IN RATS WITH NERVE LIGATION INJURY

Nerve ligation injury in rats produces increased sensitivity and exagg erated responses to nociceptive stimuli (hyperalgesia) as well as noci ceptive responses to normally innocuous stimuli (allodynia) analogous to clinical conditions of neuropathic pain. However, the effect of ner ve injury on acute nociception has not been extensively studied. Nerve ligation injury was produced by unilateral ligation of the L5 and L6 spinal roots of the sciatic nerve of male Sprague-Dawley rats. Intrath ecal (i.th.) catheters were inserted for spinal drug administration. R esponse to acute nociception was measured by determining the latency t o a rapid flick of the tail (TF) after immersion into a 55 degrees C w ater bath before (control) and after i.th. morphine administration. No change in baseline response to the nociceptive stimulus was observed in either sham-operated or nerve-injured rats. In sham-operated rats, morphine produced dose-dependent antinociception with a 97 +/- 2.3% ma ximal possible effect (MPE) at a 60 mu g dose; in these controls A(50) (95% CL) was 22 mu g (17-30 mu g). Morphine administered to rats with nerve injury also produced dose-dependent increase in TF latency, but an MPE of only 60 +/- 17% was obtained at 100 mu g; higher doses elic ited signs of behavioral toxicity. While it was not possible to produc e a proper dose-response curve with i.th. morphine in animals with ner ve injury, an estimation of the A(50) showed approximately a four-fold loss of potency compared to sham-operated controls. Antinociception w as readily reversed by naloxone (5 mg/kg, i.p.) in both groups. These data indicate that nerve ligation injury reduces the potency and effic acy of i.th. morphine. While the reasons for this loss of morphine act ivity in nerve injured animals are unknown, it is possible to speculat e that (a) degeneration of primary afferents subsequent to nerve ligat ion injury might result in a loss of presynaptic opioid (mu?) receptor s in the dorsal horn, thereby reducing the antinociceptive activity of morphine at the spinal level; (b) changes in the efficiency of post-r eceptor transduction may occur following nerve injury which can reduce opioid efficacy; (c) changes in levels of spinal neurotransmitters (e .g., cholecystokinin) may act to diminish opioid action; or (d) sustai ned afferent input from the site of the injury may be important in lim iting the activity of opioids.