Attenuation of vagal noradrenergic tachycardia by naloxone

Electrical stimulation of the transected right vagus nerve in anesthetized and atropinized dogs produced tachycardia that was not attenuated by beta-adrenoceptor blockade. Naloxone in intravenous doses of 1 and 4 mg/kg antagonized the tachycardia evoked by nerve stimulation in a dose-dependent manner. However, the attenuation was maximal at approximately 55% of the control response. These results suggest that an endogenous opiate peptide(s) may have a mediator or modulator role in nonadrenergic tachycardia evoked by vagal nerve stimulation in anesthetized and atropinized dogs.