Fentanyl and alfentanil suppress brainstem pain transmission

The effects of intravenously administered fentanyl (25 micrograms/kg, n = 9; 50 micrograms/kg, n = 5) and alfentanil (12.5 micrograms/kg, n = 5; 25 micrograms/kg, n = 7) on the noxiously evoked, single-unit activity of cells in the nucleus reticularis gigantocellularis (NRGC) were studied in decerebrate cats. Only cells of the NRGC excited exclusively by supramaximal electrical stimulation of A delta fibers (noxious stimulation) of the superficial radial nerve were studied. The noxiously evoked activity of all cells in the NRGC was suppressed by the administration of opioids (by 58 and 88% for fentanyl, 25 micrograms/kg and 50 micrograms/kg, respectively; by 35 and 78% for alfentanil 12.5 micrograms/kg and 25 micrograms/kg, respectively). Fentanyl and alfentanil effects were antagonized by the intravenous administration of naloxone. These results indicate that opioid suppression of noxiously evoked activity is seen in neurons located in the brainstem, and thus suppression of brainstem neurons may be important in the production of fentanyl and alfentanil analgesia.