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Modulatory effects of Gs-coupled excitatory opioid receptor functions on opioid analgesia, tolerance, and dependence

  • Simulatory EfFects of Opioids
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Abstract

Electrophysiologic studies of opioid effects on nociceptive types of dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons in organotypic cultures have shown that morphine and mostμ, δ, and κ opioid agonists can elicit bimodal excitatory as well as inhibitory modulation of the action potential duration (APD) of these cells. Excitatory opioid effects have been shown to be mediated by opioid receptors that are coupled via Gs to cyclic AMP-dependent ionic conductances that prolong the APD, whereas inhibitory opioid effects are mediated by opioid receptors coupled via Gi/Go to ionic conductuances that shorten the APD. Selective blockade of excitatory opioid receptor functions by low (ca. pM) concentrations of naloxone, naltrexone, etorphine and other specific agents markedly increases the inhibitory potency of morphine or other bimodally acting agonists and attenuates development of tolerance/dependence. These in vitro studies have been confirmed by tail-flick assays showin that acute co-treatment of mice with morphine plus ultra-low-dose naltrexone or etorphine remarkably enhances the antinociceptive potency of morphine whereas chronic co-treatment attenuates development of tolerance and naloxone-precipitated withdrawal-jumping symptoms.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dept of Neuroscience, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 10461, Bronx, NY

    Stanley M. Crain & Ke-Fei Shen

  2. Dept of Physiology/Biophysics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 10461, Bronx, NY

    Stanley M. Crain

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  1. Stanley M. Crain
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Special issue dedicated to Dr. Eric J. Simon.

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Crain, S.M., Shen, KF. Modulatory effects of Gs-coupled excitatory opioid receptor functions on opioid analgesia, tolerance, and dependence. Neurochem Res 21, 1347–1351 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02532375

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