title: Analgesic effect of morphine, clonidine and serotonin microinjected into the PTN of rats.
abstract: The study was aimed to delineate the neurotransmitter receptors involved in pretectal analgesic mechanisms by direct microinjection of neurotransmitter agonists and antagonists through chronically implanted cannulae in the pretectal nucleus of rats. Morphine, clonidine and serotonin, at doses of 2.5 and 5.0 micrograms microinjected into the pretectal nucleus, produced a significant and prolonged analgesia as measured by the tail-flick test. The analgesia produced by morphine, clonidine and serotonin is significantly attenuated by pretreatment of the animals with naloxone (1 micrograms), yohimbine (5 micrograms) and methysergide (5-10 micrograms) respectively. The results indicate the possible involvement of opioid, adrenergic and serotonergic mechanisms in pretectal analgesia.
authors.affiliation: Division of Pharmacology, Central Drug Research Institute, Lucknow, India.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Raghubir
authors.forename: B N
authors.initials: BN
authors.lastname: Dhawan
mesh_terms: D000700:Analgesics / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D003000:Clonidine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D008784:Methysergide / Q000494:pharmacology; D008845:Microinjections; D009020:Morphine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009270:Naloxone / Q000494:pharmacology; D010147:Pain Measurement / Q000187:drug effects; D051381:Rats; D012701:Serotonin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013477:Superior Colliculi / Q000502:physiology; D015016:Yohimbine / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D000700:Analgesics; D015016:Yohimbine; D012701:Serotonin; D009270:Naloxone; D009020:Morphine; D003000:Clonidine; D008784:Methysergide