Molecular Pain (Apr 2011)

(-)-Pentazocine induces visceral chemical antinociception, but not thermal, mechanical, or somatic chemical antinociception, in μ-opioid receptor knockout mice

  • Satoh Masamichi,
  • Uhl George R,
  • Minami Masabumi,
  • Ide Soichiro,
  • Sora Ichiro,
  • Ikeda Kazutaka

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/1744-8069-7-23
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 7, no. 1
p. 23

Abstract

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Abstract Background (-)-Pentazocine has been hypothesized to induce analgesia via the κ-opioid (KOP) receptor, although the involvement of other opioid receptor subtypes in the effects of pentazocine remains unknown. In this study, we investigated the role of the μ-opioid (MOP) receptor in thermal, mechanical, and chemical antinociception induced by (-)-pentazocine using MOP receptor knockout (MOP-KO) mice. Results (-)-Pentazocine-induced thermal antinociception, assessed by the hot-plate and tail-flick tests, was significantly reduced in heterozygous and abolished in homozygous MOP-KO mice compared with wildtype mice. The results obtained from the (-)-pentazocine-induced mechanical and somatic chemical antinociception experiments, which used the hind-paw pressure and formalin tests, were similar to the results obtained from the thermal antinociception experiments in these mice. However, (-)-pentazocine retained its ability to induce significant visceral chemical antinociception, assessed by the writhing test, in homozygous MOP-KO mice, an effect that was completely blocked by pretreatment with nor-binaltorphimine, a KOP receptor antagonist. In vitro binding and cyclic adenosine monophosphate assays showed that (-)-pentazocine possessed higher affinity for KOP and MOP receptors than for δ-opioid receptors. Conclusions The present study demonstrated the abolition of the thermal, mechanical, and somatic chemical antinociceptive effects of (-)-pentazocine and retention of the visceral chemical antinociceptive effects of (-)-pentazocine in MOP-KO mice. These results suggest that the MOP receptor plays a pivotal role in thermal, mechanical, and somatic chemical antinociception induced by (-)-pentazocine, whereas the KOP receptor is involved in visceral chemical antinociception induced by (-)-pentazocine.

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