An observational analysis of the effect of the selective kappa opioid agonist, U-50,488H, on feeding and related behaviours in the rat

Activation of mu-opioid receptors in the ventral pallidum decreases the negative hedonic evaluation of a conditioned aversive taste in rats

Conditioned taste aversion (CTA) causes a shift in the hedonic evaluation of a conditioned stimulus (CS) from positive to negative, and reduces the CS intake. Mu-opioid receptors (MORs) in the ventral pallidum (VP) are known to be involved in the hedonic evaluation of positive rewarding stimuli; however, their involvement in evaluation of a negative aversive stimulus is still unclear. To explore the neural mechanisms of the negative hedonic evaluation of the CS in CTA, we examined the effects of the activation of VP MORs on the behavioral responses of rats to a CS. Rats implanted with guide cannulae into the bilateral VP received a pairing of 5mM saccharin solution as a CS with an intraperitoneal injection of 0.15M lithium chloride as an unconditioned stimulus. On the test day, after microinjections of MOR agonist [D-Ala², N-MePhe⁴, Gly-ol]-enkephalin (DAMGO) into the VP, we observed the behavioral responses to the intraorally infused CS solution. The DAMGO injections caused a larger number of ingestive taste reactivity responses to the CS solution. We also measured the consumption of the CS solution in a separate group of rats, using a single-bottle test. The DAMGO injected rats drank a higher volume of the CS solution than the saline injected rats. These results indicate that the activation of MORs in the VP results in the attenuation of aversion to the CS solution, thereby inducing the larger CS intake. Therefore, it is likely that VP MORs are involved in not only positive but also negative hedonic evaluation.

An opioid-like system regulating feeding behavior in C. elegans

Neuropeptides are essential for the regulation of appetite. Here we show that neuropeptides could regulate feeding in mutants that lack neurotransmission from the motor neurons that stimulate feeding muscles. We identified nlp-24 by an RNAi screen of 115 neuropeptide genes, testing whether they affected growth. NLP-24 peptides have a conserved YGGXX sequence, similar to mammalian opioid neuropeptides. In addition, morphine and naloxone respectively stimulated and inhibited feeding in starved worms, but not in worms lacking NPR-17, which encodes a protein with sequence similarity to opioid receptors. Opioid agonists activated heterologously expressed NPR-17, as did at least one NLP-24 peptide. Worms lacking the ASI neurons, which express npr-17, did not response to naloxone. Thus, we suggest that Caenorhabditis elegans has an endogenous opioid system that acts through NPR-17, and that opioids regulate feeding via ASI neurons. Together, these results suggest C. elegans may be the first genetically tractable invertebrate opioid model.

DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.06683.001

When and how much an animal eats is controlled by a complex web of signals that are produced by the animal's body and brain. Molecules called opioid neuropeptides are among these signals, and act to control eating in mammals by binding to receptors in the brain and body. These receptors can also bind to similar molecules called opiates (such as morphine); opiates are amongst the oldest drugs used by humans and have diverse effects ranging from pain relief to addiction. While the activities of opiates and opioid neuropeptides have been studied in mammals, relatively little is known about opioid signaling in simpler animals.

The mechanisms behind many biological processes have been investigated using a worm called C. elegans as a model system because it has a simple body plan and its genes can be altered easily. The feeding behavior of C. elegans is no exception. This worm feeds by contracting and relaxing its pharyngeal muscle to move food into its gut. When the worms sense that food is available, this ‘pharyngeal pumping’ is regulated by one type of nerve cell. Slow pharyngeal pumping also continues in starved worms when food is not available, possibly to encourage them to eat new potential sources of food. However, this slow pumping does not require the same type of nerve cell.

Cheong et al. hypothesized that the slow pumping in starved worms might depend on neuropeptide signaling instead, and have now tested this idea using engineered worms that made lower levels of a number of these molecules. The experiments uncovered a molecule called NLP-24 that promotes the slow pharyngeal pumping. This molecule is similar to opioid neuropeptides found in mammals. Worms that made less NLP-24 than normal grew more slowly; this suggests that they had problems feeding. Moreover, the levels of NLP-24 were found to increase in normal worms soon after they were deprived of food. Further experiments revealed the identity of the receptor for this molecule, which is also similar to mammalian opioid receptors.

The discovery that opioid signaling is involved in C. elegans' feeding behavior may well, in future, also help to identify new molecular players involved in opioid signaling. Further studies might also help the search for ways to reduce the problematic side-effects that limit the usefulness of opiate drugs as medicines.

DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.06683.002

Opposing effects of intra-nucleus accumbens mu and kappa opioid agonists on sensory specific satiety

Mu opioid (MOP) agonists acting in the nucleus accumbens (NAcc) robustly enhance consumption of palatable foods. In addition, the effect on consumption of palatable foods produced by MOP agonists acting in the NAcc depends on both recent flavor exposure and the availability of a choice between different-flavored foods. In contrast, kappa opioid (KOP) agonists have variable effects on feeding and KOP agonists have MOP opposing behavioral actions when microinjected at several brain sites. We previously demonstrated that NAcc MOP agonists reverse the devaluation (satiety) effect of pre-feeding for a given flavor; in fact, NAcc MOP agonists selectively increase consumption of a recently sampled food. In contrast, in the present study, we found that the selective KOP agonist U50488 injected into the NAcc of rats reduced consumption of a recently sampled flavor while increasing consumption of the flavor that was not pre-fed. Intra-NAcc U50488 did not affect overall consumption or flavor preference in the absence of pre-feeding. The present data, in conjunction with our previous findings, highlight the robust and opposing role of NAcc MOP and KOP opioid receptors in palatability-based food choice and consumption and raise the possibility that an endogenous KOP agonist acting in the NAcc contributes to the phenomenon of sensory specific satiety.

Endogenous opioids and feeding behavior: a 30-year historical perspective

This invited review, based on the receipt of the Third Gayle A. Olson and Richard D. Olson Prize for the publication of the outstanding behavioral article published in the journal Peptides in 2002, examines the 30-year historical perspective of the role of the endogenous opioid system in feeding behavior. The review focuses on the advances that this field has made over the past 30 years as a result of the timely discoveries that were made concerning this important neuropeptide system, and how these discoveries were quickly applied to the analysis of feeding behavior and attendant homeostatic processes. The discoveries of the opioid receptors and opioid peptides, and the establishment of their relevance to feeding behavior were pivotal in studies performed in the 1970s. The 1980s were characterized by the establishment of opioid receptor subtype agonists and antagonists and their relevance to the modulation of feeding behavior as well as by the use of general opioid antagonists in demonstrating the wide array of ingestive situations and paradigms involving the endogenous opioid system. The more recent work from the 1990s to the present, utilizes the advantages created by the cloning of the opioid receptor genes, the development of knockout and knockdown techniques, the systematic utilization of a systems neuroscience approach, and establishment of the reciprocity of how manipulations of opioid peptides and receptors affect feeding behavior with how feeding states affect levels of opioid peptides and receptors. The role of G-protein effector systems in opioid-mediated feeding responses, which was the subject of the prize-winning article, is then reviewed.

Behavioral and neuroendocrine actions of endomorphin-2

The effects of intracerebroventricularly administered endomorphin-2 (EM2) on open-field activity and the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) system were investigated. EM2 (0.25-1 microg) significantly increased both the locomotor and the rearing activity, resulting in a bell-shaped dose-response curve. EM2 also enhanced corticosterone release, with an even more profound downturn phase at higher concentrations. The corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) antagonist alpha-helical CRH9-41 completely abolished the EM2-evoked endocrine and behavioral responses. These findings reinforce the hypothesis that the endomorphins may play a significant role in the regulation of locomotion, rearing activity and the HPA system through the release of CRH.

Modulation of food intake by the kappa opioid U-50,488H: evidence for an effect on satiation

The main goal of the present study was to test the hypothesis that the prophagic effect of the kappa opioid agonist U-50,488H (U50) is primarily due to an effect on satiation. In Experiment 1, the feeding effects of U50 (2.0 and 4.0 mg/kg, i.p.) was tested in animals with ad libitum access to ground food and to three sucrose solutions (1, 4, and 20%). In Experiment 2, a classical "one-bottle" test was utilized to test for the effect of U50 (4.0 mg/kg, i.p.) on the intake of five different sucrose solutions (1, 4, 16, 32, and 40%) over a 30-min period. Finally, in Experiment 3 we evaluated the effect of U50 (2.0, 4.0, and 6.0 mg/kg, i.p.) on extracellular dopamine (DA) concentration in the nucleus accumbens. In Experiment 1, U50 enhanced the intake of ground food but not of sucrose. In Experiment 2, U50 increased the intake of high concentration sucrose solutions whereas it decreased that of low concentration solutions. In Experiment 3, U50 produced a dose-dependent decrease in DA concentrations in the absence but not in the presence of food. The most likely explanation for the present results is that U50 enhances feeding by activating mechanisms that block satiety and satiation. In contrast, we found little evidence for an effect of U50 on palatability.

Effects of juvenile isolation and morphine treatment on social interactions and opioid receptors in adult rats: behavioural and autoradiographic studies

The consequences of juvenile isolation and morphine treatment during the isolation period on (social) behaviour and mu-, delta- and kappa-opioid receptors in adulthood were investigated by using a social interaction test and in vitro autoradiography in rats. Juvenile isolation reduced social exploration in adults. Morphine treatment counteracted this reduction in isolated rats, but decreased social exploration in nonisolated rats. Self-grooming and nonsocial exploration were enhanced after juvenile isolation. Morphine treatment had no effect on self-grooming, but suppressed nonsocial exploration in isolated rats. With respect to the opioid receptors, juvenile isolation resulted in regiospecific increases in mu-binding sites with a 58% increase in the basolateral amygdala and a 33% increase in the bed nucleus of stria terminalis. Morphine treatment in isolated rats reversed this upregulation in both areas. The number of delta-binding sites did not differ between the experimental groups. A general upregulation of kappa-binding sites was observed after juvenile isolation, predominantly in the cortical regions, the hippocampus and the substantia nigra. Morphine treatment did not affect the upregulation of kappa-receptors. The results show that juvenile isolation during the play period causes long-term effects on social and nonsocial behaviours and on the number of mu- and kappa- but not delta-opioid receptors in distinct brain areas. The number of mu-receptors in the basolateral amygdala appears to be negatively correlated with the amount of social exploration in adult rats.

Diet-induced enhancement of naloxone sensitivity is independent of changes in body weight

Intake of palatable solutions can enhance the anorectic potency of opioid antagonists. This experiment examined the relative contributions of orosensory experience and body weight gain to the enhanced anorectic potency of naloxone (0.125, 0.25, 0.5, and 1.0 mg/kg i.p.). Four groups of male hooded Lister rats (Charles River) were maintained on separate feeding regimes for 3 months. S-ADLIB rats were nondeprived with free access to lab chow and 20% (w/v) sucrose solution. S-RESTRICT rats received limited sucrose (50 ml/day) and chow (15 g/day) access, yoking their body weights to ADLIB rats receiving free access to lab chow only. RESTRICT rats received approx. 15 g of chow/day to maintain their body weights at 90% of the ADLIB rats. Fifteen-minute sucrose intake tests revealed marked differences between naloxone sensitivity of chronic sucrose drinkers and sucrose-naive groups. Intakes of S-ADLIB and S-RESTRICT were suppressed at all doses (max suppression >60%). In comparison to animals given sucrose, ADLIB and RESTRICT animals were significantly less sensitive (maximum suppression = 35%). Naloxone potency was independent of body weight differences. The data demonstrate that overconsumption of palatable ingesta, and not diet-induced weight gain, is sufficient to enhance antagonist potency. The study confirms that orosensory stimulation can induce plasticity in opioid systems, supporting an important role for opioids in intake regulation and general reward processes.

Effects of neonatal naltrindole treatment on antinociceptive and behavioral responses to mu and kappa agonists in rats

The effects of a daily injection of the delta selective opioid antagonist naltrindole (1 mg/kg), from birth to postnatal day 19, on antinociceptive and behavioral responses to the mu selective agonist alfentanil (65 microg/kg) and the kappa selective agonist CI-977 (50 microg/kg) in 20-day-old male rats were investigated. Antinociception was assessed using the tail immersion test and behavioral testing was performed by employing an open field. The functional blockade of the delta receptor by naltrindole blocked the antinociceptive response to alfentanil but did not affect the antinociception induced by CI-977. The effects of alfentanil (increased exploration) and CI-977 (a marked hypoactivity) in the open field were not modified by neonatal naltrindole treatment. The results suggest a functional interaction between delta and mu receptors in the postnatal period but not between delta and kappa receptors. The data also suggest differences in the delta and mu receptors interacting in the modulation of antinociception and those involved in behavioral responses in the open field.

Food cravings, endogenous opioid peptides, and food intake: a review

Extensive research indicates a strong relationship between endogenous opioid peptides (EOPs) and food intake. In the present paper, we propose that food cravings act as an intervening variable in this opioid-ingestion link. Specifically, we argue that altered EOP activity may elicit food cravings which in turn may influence food consumption. Correlational support for this opioidergic theory of food cravings is provided by examining various clinical conditions (e.g. pregnancy, menstruation, bulimia, stress, depression) which are associated with altered EOP levels, intensified food cravings, and increased food intake.

The role of multiple opioid receptors in the maintenance of stimulation-induced feeding

Feeding induced by lateral hypothalamic electrical stimulation is sensitive to opioid antagonism and has previously been blocked by naloxone and antibodies to dynorphin A fragments. In the present study, high affinity receptor-selective antagonists were used to determine the particular opioid receptor type(s) that mediates stimulation-induced feeding (SIF). Separate groups of rats were used to conduct i.c.v. dose-response studies with TCTAP (mu), naltrindole (delta) and norbinaltorphimine (kappa). TCTAP, at the highest dose tested (i.e. 5.0 nmol) and norbinaltorphimine, at doses of 10.0 and 50.0 nmol, increased the brain stimulation frequency threshold for eliciting SIF. Naltrindole, at doses up to 50.0 nmol, had no effect. Results of another study, recently conducted in this laboratory, indicate that the present doses of TCTAP and norbinaltorphimine have no effect on thresholds for lateral hypothalamic self-stimulation. This suggests that mu and kappa opioid activity are associated with feeding, rather than the eliciting brain stimulation, and excludes non-specific performance deficits as an explanation of elevated SIF thresholds. In the SIF test, where 5 determinations of threshold are obtained in serial order, naloxone characteristically increases thresholds toward the end of a test while conventional appetite suppressants increase thresholds uniformly throughout a test. TCTAP and norbinaltorphimine produced a 'naloxone-like' pattern of threshold elevation, suggesting that mu and kappa receptors are involved in the process whereby endogenous opioid activity sustains feeding once initiated.

Ventral tegmental injections of morphine but not U-50,488H enhance feeding in food-deprived rats

Food-deprived rats received microinjections of the preferential mu opiate morphine or the selective kappa opiate U-50,488H (0.1, 1 and 10 nmol) into the ventral tegmental area (VTA). Meals were divided into discrete segments so that repeated measures of the speed of eating and the latency to initiate eating could be obtained. Morphine produced a dose-dependent increase in the speed of eating. Injections of saline or U-50,488H into the VTA or injections of morphine dorsal to the VTA were ineffective. Neither morphine nor U-50,488H had a significant effect on the latency to initiate feeding. These data suggest that mu but not kappa opioid receptors in the VTA are involved in the regulation of feeding in food-deprived rats.

Centrally administered mu- and delta-opioid agonists increase operant responding for saccharin

In previous reports, ICV administration of selective mu- or delta-opioid receptor agonists was found to stimulate the intake of saccharin and salt solutions in nondeprived rats. In the present study, we measured the effects of selective mu-, delta-, and kappa-agonists on operant responding for saccharin. The selective mu-agonist [D-Ala2,N-Me-Phe4,Gly5-ol]-enkephalin (DAMGO) and the selective delta-agonist [D-Thr2]-leucine enkephalin-Thr (DTLET) increased responding, whereas the kappa-agonist dynorphin A analog kappa ligand (DAKLI) had no significant effect. These results agree with previous studies on saccharin and salt intake and are consistent with the possibility that the effects of opioids on the intake of these fluids are mediated via enhancement of activity in brain reward pathways.

A microstructural analysis of the effects of presatiation on feeding behavior in the rat

Rats were familiarized with eating a sweetened mash, and were divided into three groups. Before a test meal, the animals were allowed to eat the mash for 0, 2.5, or 5 min, respectively, to vary the degree of their satiation. Their subsequent consumption of the meal and their behavior over the course of a 30-min period was observed, to provide a microstructural description of the behavioral changes that are characteristic of increasing satiation. Presatiation, as expected, reduced the size of the test meal, and did so predominantly by reducing the duration of feeding, especially during the first 5 min of the test period. There was a slight reduction in the rate of eating as a function of presatiation, and a tendency for the latency to initiate feeding to increase. When other responses were considered separately, there was little effect of presatiation on their microstructural parameters. However, the duration of a composite category (comprising rearing, grooming, and stationary) did increase significantly as a function of presatiation. These data provide a behavioral template for satiation, against which to compare treatments that purport to manipulate feeding satiation.

Enhancement of the prophagic but not of the antidipsogenic effect of U-50, 488H after chronic amphetamine

Two groups of rats were treated with seven daily injections of either saline or d-amphetamine (3 mg/kg IP). On the 2 days following the last injection, rats were tested according to a counterbalanced experimental design, each animal receiving, immediately prior to the beginning of the dark phase, saline on one day and the highly selective kappa-opioid agonist trans- +/- 3,4-dichloro-N-methyl-N-[2-(1-pyrrolidinyl)cyclohexyl]-benzene- acetamide methanesulfonate hydrate [U-50,488H (U50)] on the other. A microcomputer-controlled data acquisition system was used for the structural analysis of the feeding and drinking responses to amphetamine and U50. U50 enhanced feeding and depressed drinking in the first hour. The increased food intake was probably the result of the effect of U50 on the development of satiation and duration of satiety. Chronic amphetamine potentiated the prophagic effect but not the antidipsogenic effect of U50. The structural analysis demonstrated that the characteristics of the prophagic effect of U50 were amplified but not changed.

Free-feeding and free-drinking patterns of male rats following treatment with opiate kappa agonists

Three experiments investigated the effects of PD117302 and U50,488H on the patterns of food and water intake by male rats. Experiment 1 demonstrated early dose-related suppression of food and water intake after PD117302 (0, 1.25, 2.5, 5 mg/kg). The initial suppression of drinking was followed by a sustained increase 4-12 h after drug administration. Experiment 2 demonstrated that 2.5 mg/kg PD117302 failed to increase food intake whether given at the beginning of the night (high baseline food intake) or the beginning of the day (low baseline food intake). Experiment 3 showed that 0.5 mg/kg U50,488H significantly enhanced meal size but, at doses of 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 mg/kg, had no effect on overall food intake. U50,488H also produced delayed, dose-related increases in water intake. The results suggest kappa receptors may have limited importance in modulating ad lib food intake and demonstrate the behavioural characteristics of increased drinking after excessive urine output.

Role of dopamine receptors in the regulation of aggression in mice; relationship to genotype

The interline differences in the manifestation of aggression evoked by stimulation was studied in mice of eight inbred lines, and the role of different types of dopamine (DA) receptors in its manifestation was investigated. Aggression was assessed in a test involving the effect of a weak electrical stimulation through the floor of the cage. A significant relationship to the animals' genotype was demonstrated, and low-aggression (C3h/He, DD, BALB/c, and AKR) and high-aggression (CBA, DBA/2, and CC57Br) lines could be distinguished on the basis of the level of aggressivity. The mixed agonist of DA receptors, apomorphine, in a one-time administration activated aggressivity in the low-aggression mice. The selective stimulation of D2-receptors with bromocriptine substantially increased the evoked aggressivity in the low-aggression mice; the blockade of D2-receptors by sulpiride decreased or prevented the manifestation of aggressivity in the high-aggression lines. At the same time, the selective D1-agonist SKF 38393 and the selective D1-antagonist SCH 23390 did not exert a substantial influence on evoked aggressivity. Evidently the D2-receptors play a key role in the control of aggression evoked by stimulation, which constitutes a model of affective aggression.

A kappa opiate agonist, U50,488H, enhances energy expenditure in rats

The effect of U50,488H (a selective kappa opiate agonist) on oxygen consumption was measured in either resting and free-moving rats. In both states, U50,488H provokes an increase in oxygen consumption. In resting rats, the increase occurs at lower doses than in free-moving rats. The explanation could be that in the free-moving rats the drug results in an increase in energy expenditure, partially compensated by a decrease in activity.

Opioid systems in the response to inflammatory pain: sustained blockade suggests role of kappa- but not mu-opioid receptors in the modulation of nociception, behaviour and pathology

One day after intraplantar inoculation of Mycobacterium butyricum into the right hind-paw, unilaterally inflamed and control rats were implanted subcutaneously with osmotic mini-pumps delivering naloxone at 0.16 or 3.0 mg/kg/h or vehicle. As determined three days after implantation, 0.16 mg/kg/h of naloxone completely antagonized the antinociceptive action of the mu-agonist, morphine, but did not affect antinociception evoked by the kappa-agonist, U69,593. In contrast, at 3.0 mg/kg/h, naloxone blocked both morphine- and U69,593-induced antinociception. Thus, 0.16 mg/kg ("low dose") and 3.0 mg/kg ("high dose") of naloxone block mu, or mu- plus kappa-opioid receptors, respectively. Pumps were removed one week following their implantation. Inoculation was associated with a sustained hyperalgesia of the inflamed paw to noxious pressure, and elevation in resting core temperature, a loss of body weight, hypophagia, hypodipsia and a reduction in mobility. These parameters were differentially modified by the high as compared to the low dose of naloxone. Two days following implantation of pumps delivering the high dose of naloxone, the hyperalgesia of the inflamed paw was potentiated: by six days, this effect was lost. Further, one day after removal of pumps yielding the high dose, the inflamed paw showed a normalization of thresholds, that is a "rebound antinociception". One day later, this effect had subsided. In distinction, at no time did the low dose of naloxone modify nociceptive thresholds. The high dose of naloxone enhanced the reduction in body weight and food intake shown by unilaterally inflamed rats whereas the low dose was ineffective. Neither dose affected the reduction in water intake or hypothermia of unilaterally inflamed animals. The high dose of naloxone reduced the mobility of unilaterally inflamed rats whereas the low dose was ineffective. Finally, by 10 days following pump removal, pathology had transferred to the contralateral paw. In rats which had received the high but not the low dose, this transfer was blocked. It is concluded that blockade of kappa-opioid receptors with a high dose of naloxone experts pronounced functional effects in unilaterally inflamed rats. In distinction, selective blockade of mu-receptors with a low dose is ineffective. The changes seen include not only an enhancement of the hyperalgesia of the inflamed tissue, but also an exacerbation of variables (body weight, food intake and motility) which reflect pain states.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Opiatergic modulation of preparatory and consummatory components of feeding and drinking

We present data here indicating that stimulation of kappa but not mu opiate receptors influences motivational and consummatory aspects of feeding and drinking. To differentiate mu and kappa mechanisms controlling preparatory (appetitive) and consummatory components of ingestive behavior, the effects of morphine (MORPH), compound U50488H (U50) and naloxone (NAL) were studied in rats trained to negotiate a straight runway using food or water as a reinforcer. At doses that increase feeding and drinking in conditions of free access to food and water (i.e., 1-2 mg/kg IP), MORPH affected neither food- nor water-maintained runway performance. Since 1 mg/kg of NAL is also devoid of effects, mu-opiate mechanisms are probably not involved in food- or water-maintained behavior. Pharmacological manipulation of kappa-opiate mechanisms had complex effects. At 5 mg/kg, NAL accelerated satiation, depressing food intake, without affecting running. U50 did not increase food intake, but accelerated running for food, an effect that was antagonized by a high dose of NAL (5 mg/kg). These findings suggest that motivational and consummatory components of food-maintained runway performance are both activated by kappa-opiate mechanisms. NAL also reduced water intake but had minimal influences on running. In contrast, U50 depressed both water intake and runway performance; rather than being antagonized, these effects were slightly enhanced by NAL. The combined antidipsic and diuretic effects of U50 suggest that kappa-opiate mechanisms play a dissipatory role in water balance. However, the similar antidipsic effects of U50 and NAL, and the fact that NAL did not antagonize the antidipsic effects of U50, suggest that U50 may reduce drinking by mechanisms other than kappa-opiate agonism.

Chronic systemic administration of amphetamine increases food intake to morphine, but not to U50-488H, microinjected into the ventral tegmental area in rats

Chronic intermittent administration of amphetamine (AMPH) sensitizes rats to the stimulatory effects on feeding produced by systemic injections of either morphine (MORPH) or the kappa-opiate receptor agonist, U50,488H (U50). Both morphine and the putative kappa-receptor endogenous ligand, dynorphin, have been reported to stimulate feeding when administered into the ventral tegmental area (VTA). To evaluate whether the VTA is the site where AMPH produces sensitization to the feeding effects of opiates, rats were given daily IP injections of either saline or AMPH (3 mg/kg). The amount of powdered food ingested during the 5 h following the injections was measured. After 9 days of AMPH or saline administration, twice weekly tests were begun of the effects of either saline, MORPH (1-10 nmol) or U50 (10 pmol to 10 nmol) injected into the VTA; AMPH administration was continued on intervening days. MORPH produced a statistically significant greater increase in food intake in rats chronically treated with AMPH than in saline treated rats. No statistically significant effects were produced by U50. However, when U50 was administered systemically to the same animals, food intake increased, and the effect was significantly greater in the AMPH-pretreated group. Thus the sensitization to the feeding effects of MORPH and U50 produced by chronic AMPH administration appears to involve different systems; the mesolimbic dopamine system appears to mediate sensitization to the effects of the predominately mu-receptor agonist, MORPH, but not of the kappa-receptor agonist, U50.

Effects of corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) and opiates on amphibian locomotion

Male rough-skinned newts (Taricha granulosa) were used as a model for the study of the neuroendocrine regulation of locomotion. Intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) injections of nanogram quantities of corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) dose-dependently increased locomotion as measured in a circular open-field test arena. In other studies animals received intraperitoneal (i.p.) injections of saline or naloxone, a synthetic opioid antagonist, followed by i.c.v. injections of saline or CRF. With 1-min intervals between injections, neither i.p. saline nor naloxone injections modified the stimulatory effects of CRF injections on locomotor activity. In contrast, with 20-min intervals between injections, the naloxone-plus-CRF injected newts displayed more locomotor activity than the saline-plus-CRF injected newts, suggesting that the opioid system modulated the behavioral effects of CRF. An i.p. injection of bremazocine, an opiate kappa-receptor agonist, suppressed spontaneous locomotion but not CRF-induced locomotion. In contrast, an i.p. injection of morphine, an opiate mu-receptor agonist, did not affect spontaneous locomotion but reduced CRF-induced locomotion, indicating further that the opioid system may modulate the behavioral effects of CRF in this amphibian. The present study provides the first evidence that both CRF and opioids may be involved in the regulation of amphibian locomotor activity.

Lack of effect of perinatal lead exposure on kappa-opioid receptor function

The effects of lead exposure have been studied upon the behavioural and diuretic responses to the kappa-opioid receptor agonist U-50488H in neonatal rats. Lead was administered in the maternal drinking water (100, 300 and 1000 ppm) from conception to postnatal day 14. The hyperactivity, wall climbing behaviours and diuretic effects of U-50488H (0.1-30 mg/kg, i.p.) in 5- and 20-day-old rat pups were unaffected at all 3 lead dose levels. Lead treatment per se produced a decrease in activity at 20 days. These results contrast with our previously reported disruption of mu- and delta-opioid receptor systems following perinatal lead exposure and suggest that the toxic effects of this metal may be confined to particular types of opioid receptor.

Effects of opiate agonists and an antagonist on food intake and brain neurotransmitters in normophagic and obese "cafeteria" rats

The relationship between the effects of opiates on food intake and on central monoamines in various brain areas was investigated in normophagic and obese "cafeteria" rats. Three agonists, beta-endorphin, dynorphin, and D-Ser2-Leu-Enk-Thr6 (DSLET) and an antagonist, naltrexone, were used. The three agonists enhanced feeling in normophagic rats but had different dopaminergic effects. Serotonergic metabolism increased concomitantly with the enhancement of feeding by the agonists, whereas it decreased following treatment with the antagonist naltrexone. In the cafeteria rats, although the feeding effects of dynorphin and DSLET occurred earlier, there was a complete lack of monoaminergic effects. beta-Endorphin was completely devoid of effects in this model. There would, thus, appear to be a positive correlation between the behavioural effects of these opiates and serotonergic metabolism in normophagic rats, while stimulated feeding situations ("cafeteria" rats) the disruption of a monoaminergic modulation does not prohibit a direct effect on feeding.

Observational analysis of the effects of kappa opioid agonists an open field behaviour in the rat

An observational analysis of the effects of four kappa-opioid agonists on forward locomotion, rearing and grooming displayed by rats in a novel open field was undertaken. The doses of agonists used corresponded to those previously found to produce changes in food consumption. Ethylketocyclazocine (0.1 and 1 mg/kg), bremazocine (0.01 and 0.1 mg/kg) and tifluadom (0.3 and 3 mg/kg) exerted suppressant effects on all the activities monitored. Grooming behaviour appeared to be particularly sensitive to this action, being virtually abolished by the larger doses of these compounds. In contrast, the selective kappa agonist U-50,488H (0.1-3 mg/kg) only attenuated grooming at the two highest doses tested (1 and 3 mg/kg). None of the agonists tested produced stimulation of open field activity during the 1-h study. Reductions in activity occurred at doses previously found to increase and decrease food intake. It was therefore concluded that the hyperphagia induced by kappa agonists was not part of a more general behavioural activation, whilst reductions in food consumption probably result from a non-specific behavioural depression.

Endogenous opiates: 1986

This is the ninth installment of our annual review of research involving the endogenous opiate peptides. It is restricted to the non-analgesic and behavioral studies of the opiate peptides published in 1986. The specific topics this year include stress; tolerance and dependence; eating; drinking; gastrointestinal, renal, and hepatic processes; mental illness; learning, memory, and reward; cardiovascular responses; respiration and thermoregulation; seizures and other neurological disorders; activity; sex, pregnancy, and development; and some other behaviors.

Chlordiazepoxide-induced selection of saccharin-flavoured food in the food-deprived rat

Following a period of food-deprivation, adult male rats were given a choice between three sources of food in a 15 min test. All three consisted of a mash of powdered food and water; saccharin and quinine were added to two of them, respectively. Chlordiazepoxide (5 and 10 mg/kg, IP) significantly reduced the latency to begin eating, and also increased the overall level of food consumption. Its hyperphagic effect was due to a selective increase in ingestion of the saccharin-flavoured food, and was not due to a general increase in food consumption across all three food sources. Analysis of the micro-structure of feeding indicated that the increase in food intake depended upon an increase in the duration of individual bouts. Other feeding parameters were not significantly affected by chlordiazepoxide. These data suggest the CDP treatments affect feeding behaviour selectively, both in relation to the taste characteristics of the food, and also with regard to alterations in the micro-structure of the feeding responses.