Relative involvement of spinal opioid receptors in physical dependence on intrathecal butorphanol and morphine.

The present study was carried out to investigate the relative involvement of spinal opioid receptors in the development of physical dependence on intrathecal (i.t.) butorphanol in comparison with i.t. morphine. Dependence was induced by continuous i.t. infusion of butorphanol (52 nmol/h) and morphine (26 nmol/h) for 4 days in male Sprague-Dawley rats. Naloxone, CTOP, naltrindole, and nor-binaltorphimine (nor-BNI) were administered i.t. to precipitate behavioral signs of withdrawal. Administration of i.t. naloxone produced a significantly greater increase in the profile of withdrawal signs in i.t. morphine dependence than that in i.t. butorphanol dependence. An i.t. nor-BNI challenge elicits behavioral signs of withdrawal only in rats dependent on i.t. butorphanol, but not in rats dependent on i.t. morphine. CTOP administered i.t. precipitated withdrawal signs in i.t. morphine dependence that were greater than that in i.t. butorphanol dependence. An i.t. treatment with naltrindole produced equivalent signs of withdrawal in both i.t. butorphanol- and morphine-dependent rats. These results suggest that continuous i.t. butorphanol results in the development of less physical dependence than that of i.t. morphine. Spinal kappa- rather than delta- and mu-opioid receptors play a major role in the development of i.t. butorphanol dependence, whereas spinal mu-opioid receptors play a more important role than delta-opioid receptors in i.t. morphine dependence.