title: Inhibition by intrathecal prazosin but not yohimbine of fentanyl-induced muscular rigidity in the rat.
abstract: We evaluated the effect of intrathecally administered prazosin, alpha 1-adrenoceptor antagonist, or yohimbine, alpha 2-adrenoceptor antagonist, on fentanyl-induced muscular rigidity. Adult, male Sprague-Dawley rats were anesthetized with ketamine and were under mechanical ventilation. Fentanyl given intravenously (100 micrograms/kg) or microinjected into the bilateral locus coeruleus (LC) (2.5 microgram/50 nl) consistently evoked a significant increase in the electromyographic activity recorded from the sacrococcygeus dorsalis lateralis muscle. This implied muscular rigidity was appreciably antagonized by prior intrathecal (10 microliters) administration of prazosin (5 or 10 nmol), but not equimolar dose of yohimbine. These results suggest that the spinal alpha 1-adrenoceptors in the coerulospinal noradrenergic pathway play a key role in fentanyl-induced muscular rigidity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, Veterans General Hospital-Taipei, Taiwan, ROC.
authors.forename: P W
authors.initials: PW
authors.lastname: Lui
authors.forename: L Y
authors.initials: LY
authors.lastname: Tsen
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Fu
authors.forename: C P
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Yeh
authors.forename: T Y
authors.initials: TY
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: S H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Chan
mesh_terms: D000317:Adrenergic alpha-Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000701:Analgesics, Opioid / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D004576:Electromyography / Q000187:drug effects; D005283:Fentanyl / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000494:pharmacology; D007275:Injections, Intravenous; D007278:Injections, Spinal; D008125:Locus Coeruleus / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D008845:Microinjections; D009127:Muscle Rigidity / Q000139:chemically induced*; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000187:drug effects; D011224:Prazosin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D015016:Yohimbine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D000317:Adrenergic alpha-Antagonists; D000701:Analgesics, Opioid; D015016:Yohimbine; D005283:Fentanyl; D011224:Prazosin