Tail-pinch method in vitro and the effects of some antinociceptive compounds

An in vitro preparation for testing antinociceptive drugs is described. The preparation consists of isolated spinal cord, spinal nerve roots and functionally connected tail of the newborn rat. Noxious pressure stimulation given to the tail induced in a lumbar ventral root a depolarizing response of 1-2 mV lasting about 15-30 s, which is referred to as tail-pinch potential. Single shock stimulation of a lumbar dorsal root induced in the ipsilateral ventral root of the same segment monosynaptic and polysynaptic reflexes, which were followed by a depolarizing response lasting ca. 20 s. The latter slow response is referred to as ipsilateral slow ventral root potential (VRP). Morphine, [Met5]enkephalin, [Leu5]enkephalin and [D-Ala2,Met5]enkephalinamide depressed both the tail-pinch potential and the ipsilateral slow VRP, but did not exert any noticeable effect on the monosynaptic and polysynaptic reflexes. The effects of morphine and enkephalins were completely abolished by naloxone. Naloxone potentiated the tail-pinch potential and the ipsilateral slow VRP in the fresh preparations which had not been exposed to opiate compounds or enkephalins, suggesting that the endogenous enkephalinergic mechanism occurs in the spinal cord and modulates the incoming nociceptive signals. The present isolated spinal cord-tail preparation will be useful for studying actions of analgesic drugs and for screening compounds for analgesic effects.