title: Behavioral and analgesic effects induced by administration of nifedipine and nimodipine.
abstract: Evidence exists that calcium antagonists can have effects on neural function. The aim of this work is to analyze the effect of two dihydropyridines, nifedipine and nimodipine, administered for 11 days on the behavior and pain sensitivity of rats. Nociception was tested using the tail electric stimulation test, and behavior parameters using a holeboard. Our results show that chronic administration of nifedipine or nimodipine induces analgesia that can be evaluated by tail withdrawal. However, neither the vocalization nor the vocalization after discharge were modified, so the analgesia may be mediated by spinal mechanisms. Rats treated with nifedipine or nimodipine exhibited a dose-dependent tendency to avoid the center of the field without modification of other parameters, suggesting an increased emotivity in the rats. This conclusion is supported by the fact that anxiogenic or anxiolytic drugs modify the pattern of locomotion without significant changes in other parameters related with the motility. The results from this study suggest the view of a complex mechanism of action underlying nifedipine- and nimodipine-mediated behavioral effects.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Farmacologia, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: M I
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Martín
authors.forename: V L
authors.initials: VL
authors.lastname: del Val
authors.forename: M I
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Colado
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Goicoechea
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Alfaro
mesh_terms: D018712:Analgesics, Non-Narcotic / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects*; D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D005106:Exploratory Behavior / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000187:drug effects; D009543:Nifedipine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009553:Nimodipine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010147:Pain Measurement / Q000187:drug effects; D017288:Pain Threshold / Q000187:drug effects; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000187:drug effects; D014828:Vocalization, Animal / Q000187:drug effects; D015430:Weight Gain / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D018712:Analgesics, Non-Narcotic; D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers; D009553:Nimodipine; D009543:Nifedipine