naloxone and Hypersensitivity

Physical injury, including surgery, can result in chronic pain; yet chronic pain following childbirth, including cesarean delivery in women, is rare. The mechanisms involved in this protection by pregnancy or delivery have not been explored.. We examined the effect of pregnancy and delivery on hypersensitivity to mechanical stimuli of the rat hindpaw induced by peripheral nerve injury (spinal nerve ligation) and after intrathecal oxytocin, atosiban, and naloxone. Additionally, oxytocin concentration in lumbar spinal cerebrospinal fluid was determined.. Spinal nerve ligation performed at mid-pregnancy resulted in similar hypersensitivity to nonpregnant controls, but hypersensitivity partially resolved beginning after delivery. Removal of pups after delivery prevented this partial resolution. Cerebrospinal fluid concentrations of oxytocin were greater in normal postpartum rats prior to weaning. To examine the effect of injury at the time of delivery rather than during pregnancy, spinal nerve ligation was performed within 24 h of delivery. This resulted in acute hypersensitivity that partially resolved over the next 2-3 weeks. Weaning of pups resulted only in a temporary return of hypersensitivity. Intrathecal oxytocin effectively reversed the hypersensitivity following separation of the pups. Postpartum resolution of hypersensitivity was transiently abolished by intrathecal injection of the oxytocin receptor antagonist, atosiban.. These results suggest that the postpartum period rather than pregnancy protects against chronic hypersensitivity from peripheral nerve injury and that this protection may reflect sustained oxytocin signaling in the central nervous system during this period.

Topics: Animals; Behavior, Animal; Disease Models, Animal; Female; Hormone Antagonists; Hypersensitivity; Injections, Spinal; Naloxone; Narcotic Antagonists; Oxytocics; Oxytocin; Peripheral Nerve Injuries; Physical Stimulation; Postpartum Period; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Spinal Nerves; Vasotocin; Weaning

To investigate whether stress-induced visceral hypersensitivity could be alleviated by electroacupuncture (EA) and whether EA effect was mediated by endogenous opiates.. Six to nine week-old male Sprague-Dawley rats were used in this study. Visceral hypersensitivity was induced by a 9-d heterotypic intermittent stress (HIS) protocol composed of 3 randomly stressors, which included cold restraint stress at 4°C for 45 min, water avoidance stress for 60 min, and forced swimming stress for 20 min, in adult male rats. The extent of visceral hypersensitivity was quantified by electromyography or by abdominal withdrawal reflex (AWR) scores of colorectal distension at different distention pressures (20 mmHg, 40 mmHg, 60 mmHg and 80 mmHg). AWR scores either 0, 1, 2, 3 or 4 were obtained by a blinded observer. EA or sham EA was performed at classical acupoint ST-36 (Zu-San-Li) or BL-43 (Gao-Huang) in both hindlimbs of rats for 30 min. Naloxone (NLX) or NLX methiodide (m-NLX) was administered intraperitoneally to HIS rats in some experiments.. HIS rats displayed an increased sensitivity to colorectal distention, which started from 6 h (the first measurement), maintained for 24 h, and AWR scores returned to basal levels at 48 h and 7 d after HIS compared to pre-HIS baseline at different distention pressures. The AWR scores before HIS were 0.6 ± 0.2, 1.3 ± 0.2, 1.9 ± 0.2 and 2.3 ± 0.2 for 20 mmHg, 40 mmHg, 60 mmHg and 80 mmHg distention pressures, respectively. Six hours after termination of the last stressor, the AWR scores were 2.0 ± 0.1, 2.5 ± 0.1, 2.8 ± 0.2 and 3.5 ± 0.2 for 20 mmHg, 40 mmHg, 60 mmHg and 80 mmHg distention pressures, respectively. EA given at classical acupoint ST-36 in both hindlimbs for 30 min significantly attenuated the hypersensitive responses to colorectal distention in HIS rats compared with sham EA treatment [AWRs at 20 mmHg: 2.0 ± 0.2 vs 0.7 ± 0.1, P = 4.23,711 E-4; AWRs at 40 mmHg: 2.6 ± 0.2 vs 1.5 ± 0.2, P = 0.00,163; AWRs at 60 mmHg: 3.1 ± 0.2 vs 1.9 ± 0.1, P = 0.003; AWRs at 80 mmHg: 3.6 ± 0.1 vs 2.4 ± 0.2, P = 0.0023; electromyographic (EMG) at 20 mmHg: 24 ± 4.7 vs 13.8 ± 3.5; EMG at 40 mmHg: 60.2 ± 6.6 vs 30 ± 4.9, P = 0.00,523; EMG at 60 mmHg: 83 ± 10 vs 39.8 ± 5.9, P = 0.00,029; EMG at 80 mmHg: 94.3 ± 10.8 vs 49.6 ± 5.9, P = 0.00,021]. In addition, EA at the acupuncture point BL-43 with same parameters did not alleviate visceral hypersensitivity in HIS rats. EA in healthy rats also did not have any effect on AWR scores to colorectal distention at distention pressures of 20 and 40 mmHg. The EA-mediated analgesic effect was blocked by pretreatment with NLX in HIS rats [AWR scores pretreated with NLX vs normal saline (NS) were 2.0 vs 0.70 ± 0.20, 2.80 ± 0.12 vs 1.50 ± 0.27, 3 vs 2.00 ± 0.15 and 3.60 ± 0.18 vs 2.60 ± 0.18 for 20 mmHg, 40 mmHg, 60 mmHg and 80 mmHg; P = 0.0087, 0.0104, 0.0117 and 0.0188 for 20, 40, 60 and 80 mmHg, respectively]. Furthermore, EA-mediated analgesic effect was completely reversed by administration of m-NLX, a peripherally restricted opioid antagonist (EMG pretreated with m-NLX vs NS were 30.84 ± 4.39 vs 13.33 ± 3.88, 74.16 ± 9.04 vs 36.28 ± 8.01, 96.45 ± 11.80 vs 50.19 ± 8.28, and 111.59 ± 13.79 vs 56.42 ± 8.43 for 20 mmHg, 40 mmHg, 60 mmHg and 80 mmHg; P = 0.05,026, 0.00,034, 0.00,005, 0.000,007 for 20 mmHg, 40 mmHg, 60 mmHg and 80 mmHg, respectively).. EA given at classical acupoint ST-36 alleviates stress-induced visceral pain, which is most likely mediated by opioid pathways in the periphery.

Topics: Analgesics, Opioid; Animals; Electroacupuncture; Electromyography; Hypersensitivity; Irritable Bowel Syndrome; Male; Naloxone; Pain Threshold; Quaternary Ammonium Compounds; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Stress, Physiological; Swimming; Time Factors

We investigated whether the descending noradrenergic system regulates allergic itch. Mosquito allergy of the hind paw elicited biting, an itch-related response, in sensitized mice. The biting was inhibited by intrathecal clonidine and reversed by yohimbine, an α(2)-adrenoceptor antagonist. The biting was increased by intrathecal pretreatment with the catecholaminergic neurotoxin 6-hydroxydopamine and the α-adrenoceptor antagonist phentolamine but not the serotonergic neurotoxin 5,7-dihydroxytryptamine. We propose that α(2)-adrenoceptors are involved in the inhibition of allergic itch in the spinal cord and that the descending noradrenergic system exerts a tonic inhibition on the itch signaling. The serotonergic system may not be involved.

Topics: Animals; Bites and Stings; Clonidine; Culicidae; Histamine Antagonists; Hypersensitivity; Injections, Spinal; Male; Mice; Mice, Inbred ICR; Naloxone; Norepinephrine; Pruritus; Receptors, Adrenergic, alpha; Receptors, Adrenergic, alpha-2; Spinal Cord; Yohimbine

1. Noxious colo-rectal distension was applied in conscious rats by acute balloon inflation and the effects observed as abdominal muscle contraction with the threshold typically between 10-40 mmHg. The effects of 5-HT3 receptor antagonists on responses to noxious colo-rectal distension were then studied in both normal rats and those pretreated with 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP). 2. Granisetron and ondansetron (10 micrograms kg-1 and 1 mg kg-1, s.c.) had no effect on visceromotor thresholds to colo-rectal distension in normal rats. 3. Hypersensitivity of the colo-rectum was achieved by systemic administration of a low dose of 5-HTP (10 mg kg-1, s.c.) which lowered the distension pressure required to induce the visceromotor reflex; analysis of variance showed a highly significant treatment effect (F1,11 = 84.26, P < 0.001). 4. Granisetron, zatosetron, bemesetron and renzapride equi-potently increased the threshold values at which distension evoked a visceromotor reflex after dosing with 5-HTP, with a maximal response 3.6 to 4.2 fold above saline controls, at 10 micrograms kg-1, s.c. Metoclopramide (10 micrograms kg-1) also raised the level of distension required to elicit a response. By comparison, tropisetron caused a small, non-significant increase in visceromotor threshold values and only at high doses (1 mg kg-1), whilst ondansetron and BRL 46470 had no significant effects at doses up to 10 mg kg-1. 5. The response to granisetron (10 micrograms kg-1, s.c.) in 5-HTP-treated rats was unaltered by pre-administration of naloxone (5 mg kg-1, s.c.). 6. These results suggest that a 5-HT3-like receptor modulates 5-HTP- evoked visceral hypersensitivity.However, the rank order of antagonist potency does not correlate with their order of potency against the classically defined 5-HT3 receptor.

Topics: 5-Hydroxytryptophan; Animals; Colon; Colonic Diseases, Functional; Hypersensitivity; Male; Muscle, Smooth; Naloxone; Physical Stimulation; Pressure; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Receptors, Serotonin; Serotonin Antagonists

Non-insulin-dependent diabetes is associated with facial flushing after alcohol in patients on chlorpropamide (chlorpropamide alcohol flushing, C.P.A.F.) especially when there is a family history of diabetes. C.P.A.F. in three subjects (two diabetics, one non-diabetic) was blocked by the specific opiate antagonist naloxone. In nine subjects (six diabetics) C.P.A.F. was reproduced by the enkephalin analogue with opiate-like activity [D-Ala2, MePhe4, Met (O)-ol] enkephalin (DAMME). C.P.A.F. thus may be due to increased sensitivity to endogenous opiates. DAMME and other substances with opiate-like activity, such as morphine and beta-endorphin, affect carbohydrate metabolism and insulin secretion. Increased sensitivity to endogenous opiates such as enkephalin may thus give rise to non-insulin-dependent diabetes associated with C.P.A.F.

Topics: Alcoholic Beverages; Chlorpropamide; Diabetes Mellitus; Drug Antagonism; Endorphins; Enkephalins; Face; Hormones; Humans; Hypersensitivity; Naloxone; Skin Temperature