Summary
Intracerebroventricularly (icv) administered met-enkephalin, leuenkephalin, and morphine induced dose-related attenuation of carrageenin-induced acute paw oedema in rats. Naloxone (10 μ, icv) antagonized the anti-inflammatory effects of the enkephalins (20 μg) and morphine (20 μg), but itself induced an anti-inflammatory effect at a higher dose (50 μg, icv). The anti-inflammatory effects of the enkephalins, morphine, and the high dose of naloxone were significantly inhibited by metyrapone, an inhibitor of endogenous corticoid synthesis. The icv-administered doses of the enkephalins and morphine induced insignificant inflammation-attenuating effects when administered i.p. Results suggest that the anti-inflammatory effects of the enkephalins and morphine are exerted through central opiate receptors. Furthermore, the inflammation-attenuating effects of these drugs and the higher dose of naloxone appear to be dependent upon endogenous corticoids, suggesting that activation of the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenocortical axis may be involved.
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Bhattacharya, S.K., Saraswati, M. & Sen, A.P. Effect of centrally administered enkephalins on carrageenin-induced paw oedema in rats. Res. Exp. Med. 192, 443–449 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02576302
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02576302