Intrathecal Atipamezole Augments the Antinociceptive Effect of Morphine in Rats

Opioid analgesics are effective in the treatment of chronic pain, but they have serious adverse effects such as development of tolerance and dependence. Adrenergic α(2) agonists and μ-opioid receptor agonists show synergistic potentiation and cross-tolerance in spinal analgesia, whereas α(2)-adrenergic antagonists have shown pronociceptive effects. However, at ultralow doses, spinal α(2)-adrenergic antagonists have been reported to paradoxically enhance opioid antinociception. New data have suggested a functional μ-opioid-α(2)-adrenoceptor complex, which may help in interpreting the paradoxical effect of the α(2)-adrenergic antagonists. In the present study we assessed the effects of low doses of atipamezole, a nonselective α(2)-adrenergic antagonist, on both systemic and spinal morphine antinociception and tolerance.