Serotonin contributes to the spinal antinociceptive effects of morphine.

Serotonin contributes to the spinal antinociceptive effects of morphine.

Crisp T; Stafinsky J L; Uram M; Perni V C; Weaver M F; Spanos L J

Pharmacology, biochemistry, and behavior

1991

1991-07

This study was designed to determine if morphine administered intrathecally (IT) interacts with serotonergic or noradrenergic nerve terminals in the spinal cord to produce analgesia on the spinally mediated tail-flick test. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were fitted with IT catheters. One week later, animals were spinally pretreated with receptor antagonists selective for opioid, serotonin or alpha-adrenoceptors, and the ability of these agents to alter spinal morphine-induced antinociception was assessed. Morphine dose-dependently elevated tail-flick latency in a naltrexone-reversible manner. The serotonin receptor antagonists spiroxatrine (5-HT1A), pindolol (5-HT1B), ritanserin (5-HT2) and ICS

Adrenergic alpha-Antagonists/pharmacology; Adrenergic Antagonists; Analgesics/*pharmacology; Animals; Biogenic Monoamines/physiology; Dose-Response Relationship; Drug; Inbred Strains; Injections; Male; Morphine/*pharmacology; Naltrexone/pharmacology; Nerve Endings/drug effects; Opioid/drug effects; Rats; Reaction Time; Receptors; Serotonin Antagonists/pharmacology; Serotonin/*physiology; Spinal; Spinal Cord/*drug effects

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591–595

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