Antinociception following 1,3,-di-o-tolylguanidine, a selective sigma receptor ligand

The role of sigma receptors in antinociceptive processes remains equivocal, because previous sigma drugs also bind to PCP/NMDA and opiate receptors. The present study examined the antinociceptive effects of the high-affinity, sigma-selective ligand 1,3-di-o-tolylguanidine (DTG; 10, 15, and 20 mg/kg, IP) on tail-withdrawal latencies in mice. DTG produced significant but short-lived increases in withdrawal latencies at all dose levels. DTG also produced hypothermia, but this effect was dissociable from antinociception. The highly selective sigma ligand rimcazole (10 and 25 mg/kg, IP) antagonized DTG antinociception in a dose-dependent manner. The opiate antagonist naloxone and the PCP/NMDA antagonist MK-801 were, however, without effect. Haloperidol, which also binds to sigma receptors, increased withdrawal latencies but did not alter DTG antinociception. These data implicate sigma receptors as the site of DTG antinociception, and more generally support the distinction between sigma, opiate, and PCP/NMDA receptors.