title: GABAergic neurons express mu-opioid receptors in the ventrolateral orbital cortex of the rat.
abstract: Behavioral studies have indicated that GABAergic modulation is involved in the opioid-induced antinociception in the ventrolateral orbital cortex (VLO). The aim of the current study was to examine whether the GABAergic neurons in the rat VLO expressed mu-opioid receptor subtype 1 (MOR1). This study employed immunofluorescence histochemical double-staining technique and showed that a considerable amount of GABA- and MOR1-like immunoreactive neurons existed in layers II-VI in the VLO. Of these GABA-like immunoreactive neurons, 92.0% of them showed MOR1-like immunoreactivities. Similarly, 80.2% of MOR1-like immuoreactive neurons also exhibited GABA-like immunoreactivities. These results provide morphological evidence that opioid-induced antinociception in the VLO might be due to an inhibitory effect by opioid via MOR1 on GABAergic neurons, resulting in disinhibition of VLO projection neurons and leading to activation of the VLO-PAG brainstem descending pain control system to depress the nociceptive inputs at the spinal cord level.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Environment and Genes Related to Diseases, Ministry of Education, Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, China.
authors.forename: Fu-Quan
authors.initials: FQ
authors.lastname: Huo
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Yun-Qing
authors.initials: YQ
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Tao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Feng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: Jing-Shi
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Tang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000378:metabolism*; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D008297:Male; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism*; D010146:Pain / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D017450:Receptors, Opioid, mu / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D017450:Receptors, Opioid, mu; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid