Related Experiment Video

Updated: Feb 12, 2026

Slow-release Drug Delivery through Elvax 40W to the Rat Retina: Implications for the Treatment of Chronic Conditions
07:49

Slow-release Drug Delivery through Elvax 40W to the Rat Retina: Implications for the Treatment of Chronic Conditions

Published on: September 17, 2014

12.0K

Evaluation of 25% Poloxamer As a Slow Release Carrier for Morphine in a Rat Model

Nurul H Sulimai1, Jeff C Ko1, Yava L Jones-Hall2

  • 1Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, United States.

Frontiers in Veterinary Science
|March 30, 2018
PubMed

Insights

Poloxamer effectively extended morphine's half-life in rats, acting as a slow-release carrier. This formulation showed no significant tissue irritation, suggesting its potential for sustained drug delivery.

Area of Science:

  • Pharmacology
  • Drug Delivery Systems
  • Biomaterials

Background:

  • Morphine is a potent analgesic with a short duration of action.
  • Developing sustained-release formulations is crucial for improving pain management and reducing dosing frequency.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess poloxamer as a subcutaneous slow-release carrier for morphine.
  • To evaluate potential tissue irritation associated with poloxamer-morphine injections in a rat model.

Main Methods:

  • Subcutaneous injection of 25% poloxamer with or without morphine, and saline in rat flanks.
  • Automated blood sampling for 48 hours to measure plasma morphine concentrations.
  • Histopathological evaluation of skin tissues from injection sites.

Main Results:

  • Poloxamer-morphine significantly increased morphine's half-life (5.5 ± 7.2 h) compared to morphine alone (0.7 ± 0.8 h).
  • Morphine alone showed a higher peak concentration (Cmax) and faster time to peak (Tmax) than poloxamer-morphine.
  • Histological inflammatory scores were comparable between morphine, poloxamer-morphine, and poloxamer groups, and significantly higher than saline control.

Conclusions:

  • 25% poloxamer functions as a viable slow-release carrier for morphine.
  • The poloxamer-morphine formulation demonstrated a prolonged drug release profile without causing significant tissue irritation in rats.
Keywords:
histopathologymorphinepharmacokineticpoloxamerratslow release

More Related Videos

A Conflict Model of Reward-seeking Behavior in Male Rats06:11

A Conflict Model of Reward-seeking Behavior in Male Rats

Published on: February 20, 2019

7.9K
Retinal Pathophysiological Evaluation in a Rat Model09:11

Retinal Pathophysiological Evaluation in a Rat Model

Published on: May 6, 2022

5.3K

Related Concept Videos

Electron Carriers01:24

Electron Carriers

Electron carriers can be thought of as electron shuttles. These compounds can easily accept electrons (i.e., be reduced) or lose them (i.e., be oxidized). They play an essential role in energy production because cellular respiration is contingent on the flow of electrons.
Over the many stages of cellular respiration, glucose breaks down into carbon dioxide and water. Electron carriers pick up electrons lost by glucose in these reactions, temporarily storing and releasing them into the electron...
92.1K
Energy-releasing Steps of Glycolysis01:28

Energy-releasing Steps of Glycolysis

Glycolysis is divided into two phases based on whether energy is utilized or released. While the first phase consumes ATP, the second phase produces energy in the form of ATP and NADH. The energy is released over a sequence of reactions that turns G3P into pyruvate. The energy-releasing phase—steps 6-10 of glycolysis—occurs twice, once for each of the two 3-carbon sugars produced during steps 1-5 of the first phase.
The first energy-releasing step—the 6th step of glycolysis...
147.2K
Opioid Analgesics: Morphine and Other Natural Cogeners01:20

Opioid Analgesics: Morphine and Other Natural Cogeners

Opioids are a class of drugs that mimic endogenous opioid peptides and act on opioid receptors, and help in pain relief. These compounds are classified as natural, synthetic, or semi-synthetic. Natural opioids, like morphine, codeine, and thebaine, are derived from the opium poppy plant (Papaver somniferum or Papaver album) and are termed opiates. Synthetic opioids are artificial, while semi-synthetic opioids combine natural and synthetic compounds. Morphine, a prototypical opioid, possesses a...
1.1K
Carrier Transport01:21

Carrier Transport

The generation of electrical current in semiconductors is fundamentally driven by two mechanisms: drift and diffusion. These processes are essential for the functionality and performance of semiconductor-based devices.
Drift Current:
The drift of charge carriers is started by an external electric field (E). Charged particles, such as electrons and holes, experience an acceleration between collisions with lattice atoms. For electrons, this results in a drift velocity (vd) given by:
994
Gene Evolution - Fast or Slow?02:05

Gene Evolution - Fast or Slow?

The genomes of eukaryotes are punctuated by long stretches of sequence which do not code for proteins or RNAs. Although some of these regions do contain crucial regulatory sequences, the vast majority of this DNA serves no known function. Typically, these regions of the genome are the ones in which the fastest change, in evolutionary terms, is observed, because there is typically little to no selection pressure acting on these regions to preserve their sequences.
In contrast, regions which code...
8.2K
Gene Evolution - Fast or Slow?02:05

Gene Evolution - Fast or Slow?

3.7K