Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-s2hrs Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-04T21:32:39.506Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Naloxone: lack of effect of a very low dose on fluid intake and activity in rats

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 June 2014

Robert Bell  and
Sheree Davis
Robert Bell
Affiliation:
School of Psychology, The Queen's University of Belfast, Belfast BT71NN
Sheree Davis
Affiliation:
School of Psychology, The Queen's University of Belfast, Belfast BT71NN
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Opiate antagonists, such as naloxone, have been employed to indicate the possible involvement of endogenous opioids in a variety of behaviours including the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. This paper describes two experiments which were performed to determine the effects of naloxone on fluid intake and activity in rats. In experiment 1, the administration of 1mg/kg naloxone significantly (p<0.001) reduced water intake. 10mg/kg naloxone considerably reduced water intake, although this result was not significant. This influence was transient, since water intake was restored to control levels at the end of the 4 hours test period, and not dose related. A low dose of naloxone 0.01mg/kg produced no effect. In experiment 2, doses of 1 and 10mg/kg did not influence locomotor activity, rearing or grooming in the open field. These results suggest that naloxone may exert a primary antidipsogenic action that does not depend upon any suppression of concomitant activity. Furthermore, mechanisms controlling water intake and activity appear to be dissociated. A speculative role for the endogenous opioid system is discussed.

Keywords

NaloxoneAntidipsogenicActivityEndogenous opioid system
Type
Original Papers
Information
Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine , Volume 8 , Issue 2 , September 1991 , pp. 100 - 108
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1991

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1.Terenius, L, WahlstrOm, A, LindstrOm, L, WiderlOv, E. Increased CSF levels of endorphins in chronic psychosis. Neurosci Lett 1976; 3: 157–162.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
2.Gunne, LM, LindstrOm, L, Terenius, L. Naloxone-induced reversal of schizophrenic hallucinations. J Neural Transm 1977; 40: 13–19.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
3.Janowsky, DS, Segal, DS, Bloom, F, Abrams, A, Guillemin, R. Lack of effect of naloxone on schizophrenic symptoms. Am J Psychiatry 1977; 134: 926–927.Google ScholarPubMed
4.Maickel, RP, Braude, ME, Zabik, JE. The effects of various narcotic agonists and antagonists on deprivation-induced fluid consumption. Neuropharmacol 1977; 16: 863–866.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
5.Holtzman, SG. Suppression of appetitive behaviour in the rat by naloxone: Lack of effect of prior morphine dependence. Life Sci 1979; 24: 219–226.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
6.Cooper, SJ. Naloxone: effects on food and water consumption in the non-deprived and deprived rat. Psychopharmacol 1980; 71: 1–6.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
7.Ostrowski, NL, Foley, TL, Lind, MD, Reid, LD. Naloxone reduces fluid intake: effects of water and food deprivation. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 1980; 12: 431–435.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
8.Brown, DR, Holtzman, SG. Suppression of deprivation induced food and water intake in rats and mice by naloxone. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 1979; 11: 567–573.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
9.Olson, RD, Fernandez, RC, Kastin, AJ, Olson, GA, Delatte, SW, von Almen, TK, Erickson, DG, Hastings, DC, Coy, DH. Low doses of naloxone and MIF-1 Peptides increase fluid consumption in rats. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 1981; 15: 921–924.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
10.Hemmer, RC, Olson, GA, Kastin, AJ, McLean, JH, Olson, RD. Effects of naloxone and its quarternary form on fluid consumption in rats. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 1982; 17: 1287–1290.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
11.Walker, JM, Berntson, GC, Paulucci, S, Champney, TC. Blockade of endogenous opiates reduces activity in the rat. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 1981; 14: 113–116.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
12.Green, EJ, Issacson, RL, Dunn, AJ, Lanthorn, TH. Naloxone and haloperidol reduce grooming as an after effect of novelty. Behav Neural Biol 1979; 27: 546–551.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
13.Rodgers, RJ. Delayed effects of naloxone on responsiveness to environmental novelty in rats. Psychopharmacol 1982; 78: 230–233.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
14.Neisewander, JL, Bardo, MT. Expression of morphine-conditioned hyperactivity is attenuated by naloxone and pimozide. Psychopharmacol 1987; 93: 314–319.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
15.Arnstein, AT, Segal, DS. Naloxone alters locomotion and interaction with environmental stimuli. Life Sci 1979; 1035–1042.Google Scholar
16.Koek, A, Slangen, JL. Acute effects of naltrexone and naltexone but lack of delayed effects on exploratory behaviour in the rat. Psychopharmacol 1984; 84: 383–387.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
17.File, SE. Naloxone reduces social and exploratory activity in the rat. Psychopharmacol 1980; 71: 41–44.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
18.Olson, GA, Olson, RD, Kastin, AJ. Endogenous opiates: 1983. Peptides 1984; 5: 875–992.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
19.Amir, S, Solomon, M, Amit, Z. The effect of acute and chronic naloxone administration on motor activation in the rat. Neuropharmacol 1979; 18: 171–173.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
20.Segal, DS, Brown, RB, Arnsten, A, Derrington, DC, Bloom, FE, Guillemin, R, Ling, N. Characteristics of beta-endorphin induced behavioural activation and immobilisation. In: Usdin, E, Bunney, WE, Kline, NS, editors. Endorphins in mental health research. London: Macmillan, 1979.Google Scholar
21.Carey, MP, Ross, JA, Enns, MP. Naloxone suppresses feeding and drinking but not wheel running in rats. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 1981; 14: 569–571.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
22.Sanger, DJ, McCarthy, PS. A comparison of the effects of opiate antagonists on operant and ingestive behaviour. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 1982; 16: 1013–1015.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
23.Stapleton, JM, Ostrowski, NL, Merriman, VJ, Lind, MD, Reid, LD. Naloxone reduces fluid consumption in water deprived and non-deprived rats. Bull Psychonom Soc 1979; 13: 237–239.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
24.Jackson, HC, Sewell, RDE. Are opioid receptors involved in the regulation of food and water intake? Neuropharmacol 1985; 24: 885–888.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
25.Jalowiec, JE, Panksepp, J, Zolovick, AJ, Najam, N, Herman, BH. Opioid modulation in ingestive behaviour. Pharmacol Biochem Behav. 1981; 15: 477–484.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
26.Sawynok, J, Pinsky, C, LaBella, FS. Mini review on the specificity of naloxone as an opiate antagonist. Life Sci 1979; 25: 1621–1632.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
27.Emrich, HM, Cording, C, Pirée, S, Kölling, A, v Zerssen, D, Herz, A. Indications of an antipsychotic action of the opiate antagonist naloxone. Pharmacopsychiatry 1977; 10: 265–270.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
28.Schmauss, C, Emrich, HM. Narcotic antagonist and opioid treatment in psychiatry. In: Roders, RJ, Cooper, SJ, editors. Endorphins, opiates and behavioural processes. Chichester: Wiley, 1988.Google Scholar