The present study was conducted to investigate the effects of repeated administration of opiates on the binding characteristics of D1 and D2 dopamine receptors in specific rat brain regions. Male Sprague-Dawley rats (150–175 g) were adapted for 1 week under controlled conditions (22 ± 1°C,40% relative humidity, 12 h light: 12 h dark illumination cycle). After the adaptation period, rats were randomly assigned into six groups (n = 15/group) for two sets of experiments; one for D[ and the other for D2 receptor binding evaluation. In each set, group 1 served as saline control, group 2 was treated with morphine (1 mg/kg/day for 7 days) and group 3 was treated with naloxone (2 mg/kg/day for 7 days). Following the third day of morphine injection, rats showed restlessness, hyperactivity, increased urination, diarrhea, lacrimation, irritability and squealing on touch, head and body shakes and salivation just prior to morphine dosage. These observed signs are typical for morphine withdrawal. One hour after the last injection, rats were sacrificed by decapitation, brains were removed and kept at –70 °C. The frozen brains were further dissected into cortex (CTX), hypothalamus (HYPO), hippocampus (HIPP) and midbrain (MID), pooled (5/pool), homogenized and used for radioreceptor assays. For D1 binding study, 3H-SCH-23390 was used as ligand and for D2 receptor binding 3H-YM-09151-2 was employed. Following repeated morphine or naloxone treatment, Bmax values for 3H-SCH-23390 binding to membranes of HYPO and MID were increased and decreased, respectively, whereas Kdvalues were significantly decreased in both HYPO and MID of morphine and naloxone-treated animals. In rat brain CTX, both morphine and naloxone decreased Kd and Bmax values of 3H-SCH-23390 binding, however the decrease in Bmax values noted after morphine administration was not statistically significant. Decrease in both Bmax and Kd values of dopamine D! receptors were observed after naloxone but not morphine treatment in HIPP. Morphine administration increased the density of D2 receptors in HIPP and MID and decreased the affinity of 3H-YM-09151-2 binding in CTX, HIPP and MID. Naloxone treatment resulted in increased number of 3H-YM-09151-2 binding sites in CTX, HYPO and HIPP. While naloxone treatment increased Kα values of 3H-YM-09151-2 in HYPO and HIPP, it decreased these values in CTX and MID. It is concluded that repeated intermittent treatment with opiates induces alterations in D1 and D2 dopamine receptors binding properties and that these changes are regionally specific. Our findings may in part explain some pharmacological and behavioral effects of repeated administration of opiates and shed some light on the neurochemical alterations associated with opiate withdrawal since the changes in dopaminergic receptor binding observed with morphine treatment were accompanied by typical morphine withdrawal symptoms

Keywords:
Morphine, Naloxone, Dopaminergic receptors, D1 receptors, D2 receptors, Rat brain
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© 1995 S. Karger AG, Basel
1995
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