title: Naloxone-induced bradycardia in pithed rats: evidence for an interaction with the peripheral sympathetic nervous system and alpha-2 adrenoceptors.
abstract: Earlier experiments performed in this laboratory have demonstrated that naloxone infusion (1 mg/kg/min i.v.) into conscious rats results in a bradycardia that has a peripheral component, is dependent on a certain level of sympathetic activity and is sensitive to alpha adrenoceptor blockade (5 mg/kg of phentolamine i.v.). The main objective of this investigation was to examine the underlying mechanism(s) responsible for the peripherally mediated naloxone-induced bradycardia, and to test the hypothesis that naloxone interacts with peripheral inhibitory alpha adrenoceptors associated with depression of peripheral sympathetic activity. Naloxone infusion (1 mg/kg/min i.v.) in pithed rats, in the absence of sympathetic nerve activation, resulted in a bradycardia that could not be blocked by 1 mg/kg (i.v.) of atropine, 5 mg/kg (i.v.) of phentolamine, 0.1 mg/kg (i.v.) of prazosin or 0.5 mg/kg (i.v.) of rauwolscine. Isoproterenol or norepinephrine-induced tachycardia was not blocked by naloxone infusion, suggesting that naloxone does not antagonize the postjunctional activation of cardiac adrenoceptors to cause bradycardia. In the presence of sympathetic nerve activity, naloxone depresses neurogenic tachycardia. This effect was blocked completely by 5 mg/kg (i.v.) of phentolamine or 0.5 mg/kg (i.v.) of rauwolscine, but not 0.1 mg/kg (i.v.) of prazosin or 1 mg/kg (i.v.) of atropine. The results of this investigation suggest that the naloxone-induced bradycardia in pithed rats is mediated postjunctionally and prejunctionally, and that this prejunctional effect is dependent on sympathetic nerve activity and inhibitory alpha-2 adrenoceptors. Furthermore, these results confirm results obtained from conscious rats in an earlier investigation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, University of Tennessee, Memphis 38163.
authors.forename: K J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Slavik
authors.forename: J E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Szilagyi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001285:Atropine / Q000494:pharmacology; D000068438:Brimonidine Tartrate; D003655:Decerebrate State; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000187:drug effects*; D008297:Male; D016210:Methacholine Chloride / Q000494:pharmacology; D009270:Naloxone / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010646:Phentolamine / Q000494:pharmacology; D011810:Quinoxalines / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D011942:Receptors, Adrenergic, alpha / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D013564:Sympathetic Nervous System / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D011810:Quinoxalines; D011942:Receptors, Adrenergic, alpha; D016210:Methacholine Chloride; D009270:Naloxone; D000068438:Brimonidine Tartrate; D001285:Atropine; D010646:Phentolamine