title: Opioid and nonopioid behavioral effects of methadone isomers.
abstract: The effect of l-, d- and dl-methadone were determined on keypecking by pigeons under three different conditions: alone, in the presence of 1 mg/kg of naloxone and during daily administration of 60 mg/kg of dl-methadone. l-Methadone decreased responding at much lower doses than either dl- or d-methadone. Both naloxone and daily dl-methadone administration shifted l-methadone's dose-effect curves to the right until they could be superimposed over d-methadone's dose-effect curves. Doses of naloxone as low as 0.01 and 0.1 mg/kg shifted the dose-effect curves of l-methadone. Chronic daily administration of dl-methadone shifted the dose-effect curve for fentanyl to the right by 10-fold, whereas the effects of pentobarbital were slightly potentiated. These data indicate that l-methadone produces its effects by an interaction with an opioid receptor, whereas d-methadone's behavioral effects are produced by a nonopioid action. When the l-methadone-sensitive, opioid receptor is blocked by naloxone or tolerance has developed, than l-methadone can produce behavioral effects by a nonopioid mechanism. The tolerance produced by daily administration of dl-methadone in the pigeon is a result of cellular adaptation and not due to a drug dispositional mechanism.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects*; D010856:Columbidae; D003216:Conditioning, Operant / Q000187:drug effects; D004361:Drug Tolerance; D005283:Fentanyl / Q000494:pharmacology; D007700:Kinetics; D008297:Male; D008691:Methadone / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009270:Naloxone / Q000494:pharmacology; D010424:Pentobarbital / Q000494:pharmacology; D013237:Stereoisomerism
chemical_list: D009270:Naloxone; D010424:Pentobarbital; D008691:Methadone; D005283:Fentanyl