[Effects of morphine, buprenorphine and butorphanol on airway dynamics of the rabbit]

An investigation was made on the effects of morphine, buprenorphine, and butorphanol on airway dynamics with special reference to the airway smooth muscle in rabbits. After tracheostomy under anesthesia, the animals were ventilated with a Servo 900B ventilator, and airway resistance (R) and total compliance (C) were measured according to the method of Norlander, and the effect of each drug was examined. Intravenous injection of morphine 0.2 mg.kg-1 increased R significantly at 10 and 20 minutes after its administration in nontreated animals and changed R insignificantly in animals pretreated with intravenous administration of chlorpheniramine 2.5 mg, an antihistaminic. It is considered that the increase in R after the administration of morphine in the nontreated animals is due to histamine release. Buprenorphine 0.8 micrograms.kg-1 and butorphanol 0.1 mg.kg-1 brought no significant changes in R in both nontreated and the chlorpheniramine pretreated animals. C decreased in all the groups including the control group which received mechanical ventilation alone without any drug administration.