MODIFICATION OF MORPHINE SENSITIZATION BY OPIOID AND DOPAMINE-RECEPTOR ANTAGONISTS - EVALUATION BY STUDYING AMBULATION IN MICE

The repeated administration of morphine (10 mg/kg s.c.) at 3- to 4-day intervals caused sensitization to its ambulation-increasing effect. A mu-opioid receptor antagonist naloxone (0.03-1 mg/kg s.c.), and dopamine D-1 and D-2 receptor antagonists SCH 23390; R-(+)-7-chloro-8-hydroxy-1-phenyl-2,3,4,5-tetrahydro-1H-3-benzazepine HCl (0.01-0.1 mg/kg s.c.) and YM-09151-2 (nemonapride); cis-N-(1-benzyl-2-methylpyrrolidin-3-yl)-5-chloro-2-methoxy-4-methylaminobenzamide (0.003-0.1 mg/kg s.c.), respectively, dose dependently reduced the ambulation increase caused by morphine as well as the sensitization to morphine, when one of them was combined with morphine in the repeated administration. Treatment with SCH 23390 or YM-09151-2, but not naloxone, 3 h after each morphine administration tended to enhance the morphine sensitization. Furthermore, when YM-09151-2 (0.1 mg/kg) was repeatedly administered to the morphine-naive mice 5 times at 3- to 4-day intervals, these mice showed a significant increase in morphine sensitivity. Although the morphine sensitization was partially reversible, repeated (5 times) treatment of the morphine-sensitized mice with SCH 23390 (0.1 mg/kg) resulted in a further enhancement in morphine sensitivity. The same treatment with YM-09151-2 (0.03 and 0.1 mg/kg) tended to increase the sensitivity. These results suggest that, in terms of ambulation in mice, an enhancement of dopaminergic neurotransmission through the agonistic action on mu-opioid receptors is responsible for induction of morphine sensitization. It is also considered that certain changes in the systems mediated by dopamine D-1 and D-2 receptors are involved in the enhancement of the morphine sensitization and for the overall increase in the morphine sensitivity, respectively.