The Cannabinoid Agonist WIN55,212-2 Suppresses Opioid-induced Pruritus in Mice.
- Author:
Heeseung LEE
1
Author Information
1. Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, School of Medicine, Ewha Womans University, Seoul, Korea. leehee@ewha.ac.kr
- Publication Type:Original Article
- Keywords:
cannabinoid;
fentanyl;
opioid;
pruritus;
WIN55,212-2
- MeSH:
Analgesics, Opioid;
Animals;
Cannabinoid Receptor Agonists;
Fentanyl;
Mice;
Nausea;
Piperidines;
Pruritus;
Pyrazoles;
Receptor, Cannabinoid, CB1;
Receptors, Cannabinoid;
Vomiting
- From:Anesthesia and Pain Medicine
2008;3(3):167-171
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:Korean
-
Abstract:
BACKGROUND: Cannabinoid receptor agonists can reverse opioidinduced nausea and vomiting in animals, but have not yet been tested against opioid-induced pruritus. This study tests the hypothesis that a cannabinoid receptor agonist will prevent opioidinduced pruritus and evaluates if the use of a cannabinoid receptor agonist will increase the analgesic efficacy of opioids. METHODS: Various doses of fentanyl were injected subcutaneously in mice to obtain a dose-response curve with the use of a writhing test. To observe the analgesic potentiation of the cannabinoid agonist WIN55,212-2 in the writhing test, mice were pretreated with various concentrations of WIN55,212-2 (0.25, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0 mg/kg) 10 min prior to the injection of an ED50 dose of fentanyl, as determined from the dose-response curve. To observe the antipruritogenic effect of WIN55,212-2 in a scratching test, mice were pretreated with WIN55,212-2 (0.25, 0.5 mg/kg) 20 min prior to fentanyl injection. A CB1 receptor selective antagonist, AM251 (3 mg/kg), was used to confirm the cannabinoid receptor selectivity. RESULTS: The ED50 of fentanyl in the writhing test was 0.018 mg/kg (range, 0.011?0.025 mg/kg). A dose of 1 mg/kg WIN55,212-2 increased the analgesic efficacy of fentanyl significantly (P < 0.001), but doses of 0.25 mg/kg and 0.5 mg/kg did not increase the analgesic efficacy. A dose of 0.25 mg/kg WIN55,212-5 reduced the scratching response of fentanyl significantly (P < 0.001) and this action was a cannabinoid receptor selective response. CONCLUSIONS: These results demonstrate that 0.25 mg/kg WIN55,212-2 can prevent opioid-induced pruritus. The antipruritogenic activity of WIN55,212-2 occurs at CB1 receptors even if the analgesic efficacy of fentanyl cannot be increased.
