Colonic bead expulsion time in normal and mu-opioid receptor deficient (CXBK) mice following central (ICV) administration of mu- and delta-opioid agonists.

A method utilizing the insertion of a 3 mm glass bead into the distal colon was used to evaluate the activity of intracerebroventricularly (ICV) administered mu- and delta-opioid agonists on colonic bead expulsion time in mice. Specifically, the ability of two mu-opioid receptor agonists, morphine and [D-Ala2,NMePhe4, Gly-ol5]-enkephalin (DAGO) and a selective delta-opioid receptor agonist, [D-Pen2,L-Pen5]-enkephalin (DPLPE), to inhibit colonic bead expulsion time was measured in normal (Swiss) and mu-opioid deficient (CXBK) mice. All three compounds maximally inhibited colonic bead expulsion time in normal mice. All three compounds also inhibited colonic bead expulsion time in CXBK mice, but none maximally. These results are in contrast to previous work in which clear differential analgesic sensitivity of CXBK mice to centrally administered mu- and delta-opioid receptor agonists was observed in the tail-flick test. Taken together, the results suggest (a) that mu-, and possibly delta-, opioid receptors can mediate supraspinal inhibition of colonic bead expulsion in mice and (b) that the genetic deficits of mu-receptor number or genetically-induced alteration in receptor function in CXBK mice do not equally affect inhibition of colonic bead expulsion and tail-flick antinociception.