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Continuous sucrose feeding decreases pain threshold and increases morphine potency.
1Department of Foods and Nutrition, University of Georgia, Athens 30602.
Pharmacology, Biochemistry, and Behavior
|January 1, 1990
Summary
Prolonged sucrose feeding in rats significantly alters pain perception and increases morphine
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Behavioral Science
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Opioid mechanisms influence pain perception during feeding.
- Limited understanding of macronutrient impacts on nociception exists.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effects of sucrose feeding on pain perception.
- To determine sucrose's influence on morphine's analgesic potency.
Main Methods:
- Male Sprague-Dawley rats were fed a 20% sucrose solution alongside chow.
- Tail-flick latency was measured to assess pain threshold.
- Morphine sulfate's potency was evaluated in sucrose-fed rats.
Main Results:
- Sucrose feeding decreased tail-flick latency within 20 hours.
- Pain threshold alterations were sensitive to naloxone.
- Morphine sulfate (8 mg/kg) was significantly more potent in sucrose-fed rats after 25 days.
Conclusions:
- Sucrose consumption alters endogenous opioid-mediated nociception.
- Dietary factors like sucrose can modulate pain sensitivity and opioid efficacy.