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Enhanced analgesic effect of morphine-nimodipine combination after intraspinal administration as compared to systemic administration in mice

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Abstract

Calcium plays an important role in the pathophysiology of pain. A number of studies have investigated the effect of L-type calcium channel blockers on the analgesic response of morphine. However, the results are conflicting. In the present study, the antinociceptive effect of morphine (2–5 Μg) and nimodipine (1 Μg) co-administered intraspinally in mice was observed using the tail flick test. It was compared to the analgesic effect of these drugs (morphine — 250 Μg subcutaneously; nimodipine — 100 Μg intraperitoneally) after systemic administration. Nimodipine is highly lipophilic and readily crosses the blood brain barrier. Addition of nimodipine to morphine potentiated the analgesic response of the latter when administered through the intraspinal route but not when administered through systemic route. It may be due to direct inhibitory effect of morphine and nimodipine on neurons of superficial laminae of the spinal cord after binding to Μ-opioid receptors and L-type calcium channels respectively.

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Abbreviations

CCBs:

Calcium channel blockers

MOR:

m-opioid receptor

MPE:

maximum permissible effect

VGCCs:

voltage-gated calcium channels

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anatomy, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, 110 029, New Delhi, India

    Dilip Verma, Subrata Basu Ray, Ishan Patro & Shashi Wadhwa

  2. Neuroscience Centre, Jiwaji University, 474 011, Gwalior, India

    Ishan Patro

Authors
  1. Dilip Verma
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  2. Subrata Basu Ray
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  3. Ishan Patro
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  4. Shashi Wadhwa
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Correspondence to Subrata Basu Ray.

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Verma, D., Ray, S.B., Patro, I. et al. Enhanced analgesic effect of morphine-nimodipine combination after intraspinal administration as compared to systemic administration in mice. J. Biosci. 30, 491–497 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02703723

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02703723

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