Related Experiment Videos
The development of cross tolerance between ethanol and morphine
Polish Journal of Pharmacology and Pharmacy
|May 1, 1986
Summary
This study shows that chronic ethanol (alcohol) use leads to tolerance to its pain-relieving effects. It also reveals cross-tolerance between ethanol and morphine, suggesting an opiate-like mechanism for alcohol analgesia.
Area of Science:
- Pharmacology
- Neuroscience
- Toxicology
Background:
- Ethanol (alcohol) possesses analgesic properties.
- The mechanisms underlying ethanol's effects, particularly tolerance and cross-tolerance with other analgesics, are not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the development of tolerance to ethanol-induced analgesia.
- To examine the potential for cross-tolerance between ethanol and morphine.
Main Methods:
- Chronic ethanol administration was employed in rodent models (mice and rats).
- Analgesic and antinociceptive effects of ethanol and morphine were assessed.
- Morphine pellet implantation was used to induce tolerance.
Main Results:
- Chronic ethanol administration induced tolerance to its own analgesic effects in both mice and rats.
- Morphine administration led to cross-tolerance to ethanol's analgesic effects.
- Tolerance to morphine's antinociceptive effects was observed in chronically alcoholized mice, but not in rats.
Conclusions:
- Ethanol-induced analgesia may involve an opiate-like mechanism.
- Findings support the hypothesis of shared pathways in the action of ethanol and opiates.