Role of endogenous opioid peptides in the acute adaptation to hypoxia

A non-lethal, hypoxic conditioning stimulus has been shown by Rising and D'Alecy to increase hypoxic survival time in mice. To determine if endogenous opioids alter the hypoxic conditioning-induced increase in hypoxic survival time, we administered naloxone (0.1, 1.0 mg/kg i.p.) or saline (0.3 ml i.p.) 5 min prior to conditioning. Sixty percent of the mice received the hypoxic conditioning stimulus consisting of three sequential hypoxic exposures (4.5% oxygen balance nitrogen for 1.5, 2 and 2.5 min) separated by 5 min of room air. The remaining mice did not receive hypoxic conditioning but instead remained in room air for this time. All mice were tested for hypoxic survival by first exposing them to 20 s of 8.5% oxygen balance nitrogen followed by exposure to 4.5% oxygen balance nitrogen. The hypoxic survival time was recorded as the time from the onset of the 4.5% oxygen to the cessation of spontaneous ventilation. Naloxone (1 mg/kg) completely blocked the adaptation to hypoxia induced by hypoxic conditioning (P = 0.003). Morphine (1, 5, 10 and 20 mg/kg) had no effect on hypoxic adaptation; however, 50 mg/kg morphine decreased the adaptation induced by conditioning (P less than 0.0001) possibly due to high dose toxicity. These data suggest that endogenous opioids are involved in the protective adaptation to hypoxia induced by prior exposure to non-lethal hypoxia.