title: Morphine-induced changes in cerebral and cerebellar nitric oxide synthase activity.
abstract: The effect of acute and chronic morphine treatment on nitric oxide (NO) synthase activity (determined by the rate of conversion of [14C]arginine into [14C]citrulline) on mouse brain was studied. Acute morphine treatment induced an increased in Ca2+ -dependent NO synthase in cerebellum. This effect was blocked by coadministration with naloxone. Chronic morphine treatment (by s.c. pellet) also produced an increase in cerebellar NO synthase, with a maximum on the second day of implantation. No significant changes were found in frontal cortex and forebrain during acute or chronic morphine treatment. The relationship between opiate effects and the L-arginine: NO pathway is discussed.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Farmacología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Leza
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Lizasoain
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: San-Martín-Clark
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lorenzo
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002118:Calcium / Q000502:physiology; D002531:Cerebellum / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000201:enzymology; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000201:enzymology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D009020:Morphine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009270:Naloxone / Q000494:pharmacology; D009294:Narcotics / Q000494:pharmacology*; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase / Q000378:metabolism*; D016548:Prosencephalon / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000201:enzymology
chemical_list: D009294:Narcotics; D009270:Naloxone; D009020:Morphine; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase; D002118:Calcium