[Effect of an extract prepared from "dai-bofu-to" on morphine withdrawal responses]

A water-extract (TJ-97) prepared from "Dai-bofu-to", a "Kampo" medicine (Chinese traditional prescriptions composed of herbal drugs) was tested for its potency to modulate morphine withdrawal responses in animals. TJ-97 significantly attenuated naloxone-induced contraction of the segments of the ileum isolated from morphine-dependent guinea pigs in the absence and presence of atropine. TJ-97 also inhibited the contractile responses of the segments to electrical field stimulation at a low frequency and those to nicotine, but not those to exogenously applied ACh or substance P. The rats given i.p. TJ-97 and 30 min later challenged with naloxone showed significantly lowered frequency of excretion and diminished amount of feces, including soft stools (diarrhea), as compared with the saline-injected control rats. These findings suggest that TJ-97 inhibits the release of ACh and substance P or substance P-like peptide(s) from the nervous structures in the wall of the ileum.