Antinociceptive effects of mixtures of mu opioid receptor agonists and cannabinoid receptor agonists in rats: Impact of drug and fixed-dose ratio.

ABSTRACT: Pain is a significant clinical problem, and there is a need for effective pharmacotherapies with fewer adverse effects than currently available drugs (e.g., mu opioid receptor agonists). Cannabinoid receptor agonists enhance the antinociceptive effects of mu opioid receptor agonists, but it remains unclear which drugs and in what proportion will yield the most effective and safest treatments. The antinociceptive effects of the mu opioid receptor agonists etorphine and morphine alone and in combination with the cannabinoid receptor agonists Δ⁹-THC and CP55940 were studied in male Sprague-Dawley rats (n = 16) using a warm water tail withdrawal procedure. The ratio of opioid to cannabinoid (3:1, 1:1, and 1:3) varied for each mixture. Drugs administered alone or as pairwise mixtures

SUBMITTER: Maguire DR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5766417 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature