Age-dependent morphine partitioning between plasma and cerebrospinal fluid in monkeys

Steady-state partitioning of morphine between blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) was evaluated in pigtailed monkeys at three ages: 2-3 days, 1 month and 1 year. Protein binding of morphine to serum proteins was assessed by ultrafiltration. Newborns showed a higher CSF to plasma ratio than the 1-month- or 1-year-old monkeys (0.506 vs. 0.369 or 0.374, respectively). Protein binding of morphine was 11% in newborns, and 17% at 1 year of age, not explaining the increased morphine penetration into CSF in newborns. Increased CSF morphine is a transient finding in infant macaques, which appears to reach young adult values by 1 month of age.