title: Kappa antagonist properties of buprenorphine in non-tolerant and morphine-tolerant rats.
abstract: Buprenorphine was evaluated for its ability to act as a kappa opioid antagonist in rats responding under a fixed-ratio 30 schedule of food presentation both before and after the induction of morphine tolerance. Before the induction of morphine tolerance, both buprenorphine and the selective kappa agonist bremazocine decreased rates of responding in a dose-dependent manner, and buprenorphine (0.03 and 0.3 mg/kg) failed to antagonize bremazocine's rate-decreasing effects. Following the induction of morphine tolerance, the bremazocine dose-effect curve was unaffected, but a profound cross-tolerance developed to buprenorphine. Furthermore, buprenorphine (0.03, 0.3 and 1.0 mg/kg) produced a dose-dependent antagonism of the rate-decreasing effects of bremazocine in the morphine-tolerant rats. These results support the hypothesis that buprenorphine has antagonist activity at kappa opioid receptors.
authors.affiliation: Curriculum in Neurobiology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill 27599.
authors.forename: S S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Negus
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Picker
authors.forename: L A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Dykstra
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects*; D001575:Benzomorphans / Q000494:pharmacology; D002047:Buprenorphine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004361:Drug Tolerance; D008297:Male; D009020:Morphine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009292:Narcotic Antagonists; D051381:Rats; D017473:Receptors, Opioid, kappa; D012055:Reinforcement Schedule
chemical_list: D001575:Benzomorphans; D009292:Narcotic Antagonists; D017473:Receptors, Opioid, kappa; D002047:Buprenorphine; D009020:Morphine; C027248:bremazocine