Sh. Lee et al., DIFFERENTIAL ACTION OF MORPHINE AND VARIOUS OPIOID AGONISTS ON THERMAL ALLODYNIA AND HYPERALGESIA IN MONONEUROPATHIC RATS, Pain, 57(2), 1994, pp. 233-240
In a rat model of mononeuropathy produced by 4 loose ligatures around
the common sciatic nerve, the effects of 1 mg/kg morphine and mu-, del
ta- and kappa-agonists, DAMGO (2 and 3 mg/kg), BUBUC (3 and 6 mg/kg) a
nd U-69,593 (1.5 mg/kg), were evaluated by measuring the struggle late
ncy (SL in sec) to immersion of the paw on the nerve-injured side in a
cold (10 degrees C) or hot (42 degrees C, 44 degrees C, and 46 degree
s C) water bath. Experiments were performed 2 weeks after surgery. The
agonists were used at doses that produced potent antinociceptive effe
cts on the vocalization test in this model. At 46 degrees C (clearly i
n the noxious range), only morphine and DAMGO had significant effects.
The effect of morphine lasted for more than 2 h with a maximum at 40
min (SL = 13.8 +/- 1.6 sec, 252% of control values). For 2 and 3 mg/kg
DAMGO, the dose-related effect lasted for 120 min at least, with a ma
ximum at 20-40 min (SL = 6.0 +/- 0.5 and 8.8 +/- 0.7 sec, 148% and 170
% of control values, respectively). These effects were more potent and
prolonged than in normal rats and were reversed by 0.1 mg/kg naloxone
i.v. By contrast, morphine and all selective agonists failed to relie
ve the abnormal reactions to 10 degrees C, 42 degrees C (in the non-no
xious range) and 44 degrees C (at the noxious threshold) stimuli. Our
data illustrate a differential effect of opioids on nociceptive tests
based on different stimulus modalities and intensities in this model o
f mononeuropathic pain. This may be due to the activation of different
types of fibers and/or to the progressive increase in the number of a
ctivated fibers in response to different intensities of stimuli and co
uld partly explain differences in the efficacy of opioids in neuropath
ic pain syndromes in clinical practice.