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1,4-Benzodiazepines Antagonize Opiate-Induced Antinociception in Mice
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1990
Year
Pain MedicineHot-plate TestMolecular PainPharmacotherapyTail-flick TestBenzodiazepine EffectMolecular PharmacologyPain ManagementAnesthetic PharmacologyAnalgesicsHealth SciencesBehavioural PharmacologyBehavioral PharmacologyNeuropharmacologyPharmacologyPain ResearchNeurophysiologyAddictionNeurosciencePain MechanismAnesthesiaMedicine
The influence of diazepam, midazolam, and flunitrazepam on the antinociceptive effect of morphine, fentanyl, and buprenorphine was studied using the hot-plate test and the tail-flick test in mice. Diazepam and midazolam induced a dose-dependent attenuation of the effect of all three opiates in both tests of nociception. Flunitrazepam antagonized the antinociceptive effect only in the tail-flick test. The benzodiazepine effect could not be explained by altered tail-skin temperature. The antagonism did not correlate well with the sedative or muscle-relaxing properties of the benzodiazepines, and a different mechanism may therefore be involved. It is proposed that the antagonism represents an interaction between benzodiazepines and opioid systems in the brain participating in modulation of nociceptive inputs.