Dissociated effects of apomorphine on various nociceptive responses in mice

The effects of increasing doses of apomorphine were studied in mice in six nociceptive tests: (1) withdrawal of the tail immersed in hot water, (2) vocalization induced by the electrical stimulation of the tail, (3) tail flick using a radiant beam, (4) withdrawal of a tail-clip, (5) writhing induced by the i.p. injection of phenylbenzoquinone, (6) forepaw licking and jump latencies on a hot plate. Only in the tests (5) and (6), an apparent analgesia was obtained. Differences were observed between tests (5) and (6), as to: (i) the apparent relative effectiveness of (-)sulpiride (more effective in test [5] than in test [6]), (ii) the naloxone-induced modifications of apomorphine effects (whereas naloxone antagonized apomorphine effects in test [6], it did not in test [5]), (iii) the decrease of apomorphine-induced responses by prevention of hypothermia (in test [6] but not in test [5]). These data suggest that APO-induced increased jump latencies are at least partly related with hypothermia and endogenous opioid systems, whereas APO effect on the writhing test depends on the stimulation of dopamine receptors particularly sensitive to sulpiride and is independent from body temperature and opioidergic transmissions.