ISOBOLOGRAPHIC SUPERADDITIVITY BETWEEN DELTA-OPIOID AND MU-OPIOID AGONISTS IN THE RAT DEPENDS ON THE RATIO OF COMPOUNDS, THE MU-AGONIST ANDTHE ANALGESIC ASSAY USED

The present study was designed to test rigorously, using isobolographi c analysis, whether there was a potentiative interaction between delta and mu agonists administered i.c.v. to rats. Factors such as the spec ific fixed ratio of compounds, the analgesic assay and the mu agonist were varied to determine the generality of the results. Male rats were implanted with i.c.v. cannulas and were tested in the cold (-3-degree s-C) or hot (+50-degrees-C) water tail-flick test. Full dose-effect cu rves were generated for the mu agonists, morphine and [N-MePhe3,D-Pro4 ]morphiceptin and the delta-selective agonist, DPDPE. Each agonist ind uced dose-related analgesia in the cold water test (ED50 values were 1 2, 0.79 and 75 mug, respectively). In the hot water test, morphine ind uced analgesia with an ED50 value of 4.4 mug, whereas DPDPE failed to produce a full effect at doses up to 200 mug. Full dose-effect curves were also generated for various fixed-ratio combinations of DPDPE and morphine in both analgesic assays. Fixed ratios were chosen such that the amount of DPDPE in each dose of the combinations tested was itself subanalgesic. The combination with 20% DPDPE and 80% morphine (by wei ght) was significantly superadditive in the cold water test as determi ned by isobolographic analysis, whereas a second combination of the sa me drugs (40% DPDPE) was not. However, in the hot water test, the 20% DPDPE combination was not superadditive and neither were two other com binations of DPDPE and morphine. No combination of DPDPE and [N-MePhe3 ,D-Pro4]morphiceplin differed significantly from additivity when teste d in the cold water test. Thus, potentiative delta-mu interactions wer e shown to depend on the ratio of compounds, on the analgesic assay an d on the mu agonist used.