title: Facilitation of respiratory rhythm by a mu-opioid agonist in newborn rat pons-medulla-spinal cord preparations.
abstract: We investigated the effect of a mu-opioid agonist, DAGO, on the respiratory frequency of pons-medulla-spinal cord preparations from newborn rats. Bath application of a low concentration of DAGO (0.2 microM) facilitated respiratory rhythm in pons-medulla-spinal cord preparations, whereas it induced respiratory depression in medulla-spinal cord preparations (without pons). At a higher concentration (1.0 microM), at which the inspiratory burst generation in the medulla was strongly depressed, the respiratory rhythm in half of the pons-medulla-spinal cord preparations increased and then decreased, thus showing a biphasic response. In the other half of these preparations, only the facilitatory effect was observed. The burst rate of pre-inspiratory neurons in the rostral ventrolateral medulla was also facilitated by DAGO application. Such facilitation of the respiratory rhythm is probably due to disinhibition of a pontine inhibitory system. Our findings also suggest the existence of a pontine excitatory system, which is depressed by the pontine inhibitory system under control conditions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Showa University School of Medicine, 1-5-8 Hatanodai, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo 142-8555, Japan.
authors.forename: Ayaka
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tanabe
authors.forename: Tomoko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fujii
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Onimaru
mesh_terms: D000200:Action Potentials / Q000187:drug effects; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D020875:Enkephalin, Ala(2)-MePhe(4)-Gly(5)- / Q000494:pharmacology*; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008526:Medulla Oblongata / Q000187:drug effects*; D009270:Naloxone / Q000494:pharmacology; D016571:Neural Networks, Computer; D011149:Pons / Q000187:drug effects*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D017450:Receptors, Opioid, mu / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*; D012119:Respiration / Q000187:drug effects*; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: C485765:Oprm1 protein, rat; D017450:Receptors, Opioid, mu; D020875:Enkephalin, Ala(2)-MePhe(4)-Gly(5)-; D009270:Naloxone