title: Opioid receptors mediating antinociception from beta-endorphin and morphine in the periaqueductal gray.
abstract: beta-Endorphin and morphine produce an increase in the latency of the tail-flick reflex when administered into the PAG of awake rats. The antinociceptive effect of both opioid agonists was blocked by the sequential local injection of either CTP (D-Phe-Cys-Tyr-D-Trp-Lys-Thr-Pen-Thr-NH2), a selective mu opioid receptor antagonist, naltrexone, or beta-endorphin (1-27), a putative epsilon opioid receptor antagonist, with minimal selectivity. When either CTP or naltrexone was used as the antagonist, the dose-inhibition curves generated for beta-endorphin and morphine were not parallel, suggesting the involvement of separate and distinct receptors. Also, synergism occurred when a dose of morphine producing submaximum antinociception was administered simultaneously with either a submaximal or ineffective dose of beta-endorphin. Inhibition of the antinociceptive response to beta-endorphin by mu antagonists and the non-selective antagonism of both beta-endorphin and morphine by beta-endorphin (1-27) suggested that epsilon opioid receptors were not involved. Additionally, a mu/delta opioid receptor complex was not involved, since ICI 174,864 (Allyl2-Tyr-Aib-Aib-Phe-Leu-OH), a selective delta opioid receptor antagonist, did not alter the response to beta-endorphin. Thus, although additional characterization is required, beta-endorphin and morphine appear to act (at least in part) through different opioid receptors, demonstrable using selected mu opioid receptor antagonists.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, West Virginia University, Morgantown 26506.
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Robertson
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Monroe
authors.forename: D A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Leedham
authors.forename: J D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Cabral
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000700:Analgesics / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D020881:Enkephalin, D-Penicillamine (2,5)-; D004743:Enkephalin, Leucine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000494:pharmacology; D004745:Enkephalins / Q000494:pharmacology; D007276:Injections, Intraventricular; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009020:Morphine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009271:Naltrexone / Q000494:pharmacology; D009292:Narcotic Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D010487:Periaqueductal Gray / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000187:drug effects; D011957:Receptors, Opioid / Q000187:drug effects*; D001615:beta-Endorphin / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D000700:Analgesics; D004745:Enkephalins; D009292:Narcotic Antagonists; D011957:Receptors, Opioid; D004743:Enkephalin, Leucine; D009271:Naltrexone; D001615:beta-Endorphin; D009020:Morphine; D020881:Enkephalin, D-Penicillamine (2,5)-; C040643:N,N-diallyl-tyrosyl-alpha-aminoisobutyric acid-phenylalanyl-leucine