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Nitrous oxide "analgesia": resemblance to opiate action
Science (New York, N.Y.)
|November 26, 1976
Summary
Nitrous oxide provides dose-related pain relief in mice, suggesting it may trigger the release of natural painkillers. This effect was diminished by drugs that block opioid receptors.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Pharmacology
- Pain Research
Background:
- Nitrous oxide is commonly used for its anesthetic and analgesic properties.
- The precise mechanisms underlying nitrous oxide's pain-relieving effects are not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the dose-dependent analgesic effects of nitrous oxide in a mouse model.
- To explore the potential involvement of endogenous opioid systems in nitrous oxide-induced analgesia.
Main Methods:
- Administered varying doses of nitrous oxide to mice.
- Assessed analgesia using the phenylquinone writhing test.
- Investigated the impact of narcotic antagonists and chronic morphinization on nitrous oxide analgesia.
Main Results:
- Nitrous oxide demonstrated a dose-related analgesic effect, with a median effective dose of 55 percent.
- The analgesic effect of nitrous oxide was significantly reduced by narcotic antagonists.
- Chronic morphinization also attenuated the pain-relieving properties of nitrous oxide.
Conclusions:
- Nitrous oxide may induce analgesia by stimulating the release of endogenous analgesic substances.
- Alternatively, narcotic antagonists might possess previously unrecognized analgesic antagonist properties.