title: Morphine-6-glucuronide: effects on ventilation in normal volunteers.
abstract: The respiratory responses to intravenous morphine sulphate (0.12 mg/kg), morphine-6-glucuronide (M6G: 0.03 mg/kg) and placebo were assessed in 6 healthy volunteers, using a single blind randomised crossover design. Five of these subjects underwent an additional study of M6G at 0.06 mg/kg. Respiratory rate, minute volume and end-tidal CO2 were continuously measured using a low resistance non-rebreathing circuit, a mass spectrometer and a dry gas meter. The ventilatory responses to CO2 exposures (5.5% for 4 min) were assessed 40 and 20 min before, and 20, 40 and 80 min after drug administration. Following placebo and M6G (at both doses) no change in end-tidal CO2 occurred whilst the subjects were breathing air, whereas following morphine a significant rise was seen (P less than 0.05). Morphine reduced the ventilatory response to 5.5% CO2 at all times tested (P less than 0.05) and M6G (at both doses) reduced the response to CO2 at 20 and 40 min after administration, but to a lesser degree than did morphine (P less than 0.05).
authors.affiliation: Pain Relief Research Unit, London SE5 9RS U.K. Academic Department of Anaesthetics, King's College School of Medicine and Dentistry, London SE5 9RS U.K.
authors.forename: S J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Peat
authors.forename: M H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Hanna
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Woodham
authors.forename: A A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Knibb
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ponte
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects; D002245:Carbon Dioxide / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009020:Morphine / Q000494:pharmacology; D009022:Morphine Derivatives / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010100:Oxygen / Q000097:blood; D011897:Random Allocation; D012016:Reference Values; D012119:Respiration / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D009022:Morphine Derivatives; D002245:Carbon Dioxide; C035349:morphine-6-glucuronide; D009020:Morphine; D010100:Oxygen