The interaction between kappa-opioid agonist, U-50, 488H, and kainic acid: behavioral and histological assessments

Effect of U50488, a selective kappa opioid receptor agonist and levetiracetam against lithium-pilocarpine-induced status epilepticus, spontaneous convulsive seizures and related cognitive impairment

PURPOSE

Kappa opioid receptor (KOR) agonists have anticonvulsant effect but their antiepileptogenic effect is unknown. U50488, a selective KOR agonist is used to determine its effect on status epilepticus (SE), spontaneous convulsive seizures (SS) and cognitive impairment in rat lithium-pilocarpine SE model. Effect of an antiepileptic drug levetiracetam is also studied.

METHOD

Male Wistar rats with SE were divided into three groups namely, LiP, LiP + U50488 (10 mg/kg, i.p.) and LiP + levetiracetam (400 mg/kg, i.p.) group. SE was terminated after 90 min of its onset with diazepam (15 mg/kg, i.p.) and phenobarbitone (25 mg/kg, i.p.). Drug treatment was started after 15 min of onset of SE and repeated once after 4 h. Rats were video monitored 12 h daily (9 AM to 9 PM) to determine severity of SE using modified Racine scale and onset and frequency of SS from day 0 to day 21. Morris water maze (MWM) test was done at baseline i.e. day -1 (before lithium administration) and day 22, to assess cognitive impairment.

RESULTS

As compared to LiP, U50488 decreased the severity of SE (1.98 ± 0.13 vs 2.95 ± 0.12; p-value < 0.0001) but not levetiracetam (2.62 ± 0.09; p-value = 0.3112). Survival increased with both U50488 (90%, n = 10) and levetiracetam (81.8%, n = 11) as compared to NS (56.2%, n = 16). No effect on onset and frequency of SS was found in U50488/levetiracetam group. U50488 improved seizures-induced cognitive impairment. Levetiracetam group showed thigmotactic (wall hugging) behaviour in MWM in 8 out of 9 rats.

CONCLUSION

Acute treatment with U50488, a kappa opioid receptor agonist has a beneficial effect on SE, SE-related mortality and memory impairment. The dual protective effect of U50488 on seizures and related cognitive impairment is advantageous over currently used antiseizure drugs which are known to cause cognitive impairment.

Salvinorin A Does Not Affect Seizure Threshold in Mice

The κ-opioid receptor has recently gained attention as a new molecular target in the treatment of many psychiatric and neurological disorders including epilepsy. Salvinorin A is a potent plant-derived hallucinogen that acts as a highly selective κ-opioid receptor agonist. It has unique structure and pharmacological properties, but its influence on seizure susceptibility has not been studied so far. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of salvinorin A on seizure thresholds in three acute seizure tests in mice. We also examined its effect on muscular strength and motor coordination. The obtained results showed that salvinorin A (0.1-10 mg/kg, i.p.) did not significantly affect the thresholds for the first myoclonic twitch, generalized clonic seizure, or forelimb tonus in the intravenous pentylenetetrazole seizure threshold test in mice. Likewise, it failed to affect the thresholds for tonic hindlimb extension and psychomotor seizures in the maximal electroshock- and 6 Hz-induced seizure threshold tests, respectively. Moreover, no changes in motor coordination (assessed in the chimney test) or muscular strength (assessed in the grip-strength test) were observed. This is a preliminary report only, and further studies are warranted to better characterize the effects of salvinorin A on seizure and epilepsy.

Kappa opioid receptor activation disrupts prepulse inhibition of the acoustic startle in rats

BACKGROUND

Compelling evidence indicates that kappa opioid receptor (KOR) agonists produce perceptual distortions in animals and humans, yet the mechanism of action and clinical relevance of such effects remain unclear. Since abnormalities in preattentional functions and informational processing are hypothesized to underlie psychotic disorders, the present study has been designed to assess the role of KOR on sensorimotor gating.

METHODS

The effects of the selective KOR agonist U50488 were evaluated on the behavioral paradigm of prepulse inhibition (PPI) of the acoustic startle reflex (ASR).

RESULTS

U50488 (1.25, 2.5, and 5 mg/kg, subcutaneous [SC]) induced a dose-dependent reduction of PPI, which was efficiently prevented by the selective KOR antagonist norbinaltorphimine (nor-BNI, 10 mg/kg, SC), as well as by the atypical antipsychotic clozapine (5, 8 mg/kg, intraperitoneal [IP]) but not by the typical antipsychotic haloperidol (.1, .5 mg/kg, IP). Conversely, nor-BNI (10 mg/kg, SC) failed to reverse the PPI disruption mediated by both apomorphine (.25 mg/kg, SC) and dizocilpine (.1 mg/kg, SC).

CONCLUSIONS

Our results support a pivotal role of KOR in the regulation of preattentional functions and sensorimotor gating, pointing to these receptors as a possible neurobiological substrate especially relevant to the clusters of psychosis unresponsive to typical antipsychotics.

The kappa opioid agonist U50,488 potentiates 6-hydroxydopamine-induced neurotoxicity on dopaminergic neurons

Several observations support the hypothesis that kappa opioid (kappa-opioid) receptor agonism may contribute to neurotoxicity, but other reports have suggested that certain kappa-agonists can attenuate neurological dysfunction. Degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra is the pathological hallmark of Parkinson's disease. Therefore, it is of particular interest to study whether kappa-opioid receptor agonism has an influence on the progressive degeneration of dopaminergic neurons. We have investigated the effect exerted by the selective kappa-agonist U50,488 on the neurotoxicity induced by intrastriatal 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) administration on dopaminergic neurons. Male Sprague-Dawley rats received an acute (0.5 mg/kg) or subacute (0.5 mg/kg, twice at day, for 7 days) administration of U50,488, receiving the last dose 30 min before intrastriatal 6-OHDA administration. Acute or subacute U50,488 pretreatment potentiated the 6-OHDA-induced decrease in the number of nigral tyrosine hydroxylase immunoreactive neurons (P < 0.05). Acute U50,488 pretreated animals showed a tendency, although not statistically significant to increase striatal mRNA encoding for enkephalin (PPE mRNA). Subacute U50,488 significantly potentiated the increase in PPE mRNA induced by 6-OHDA (P < 0.05). The present results show a neurotoxic effect of the kappa agonist U50,488 on dopaminergic neurons in rats with a striatal lesion induced by 6-OHDA. This neurotoxic effect is associated to an increase in striatal PPE mRNA levels, suggesting that an increase in the indirect pathway activity and consequently an increase in the activity of the subthalamo-nigral pathway might be involved in this phenomenon.

Protective effects of TRH and its stable analogue, RGH-2202, on kainate-induced seizures and neurotoxicity in rodents

Thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) has been postulated to be involved in the regulation of seizures and neural degeneration. We examined the effects of TRH and its stable analogue, RGH-2202, on the kainate-induced seizures and excitotoxicity in mice - a model of a drug-resistant temporal lobe epilepsy. We found that TRH (2.0 and 5.0 mg/kg) and RGH-2202 (2.5 and 5 mg/kg) elevated the ED(50) for kainate-induced convulsions and tended to decrease mortality. A histological analysis showed that kainate caused a neuronal loss of CA(1) and CA(3) hippocampal fields. TRH (10, 20 and 50 mg/kg) and RGH-2202 (2.5, 7.5 and 10.0 mg/kg) markedly reduced the excitotoxic effect of kainate. Further studies showed that TRH (1-100 microM) and RGH-2202 (100 microM) significantly attenuated the kainate (150 microM)-induced lactate dehydrogenase release in a primary cortical cell culture from rat embryos. In conclusion, the present study showed that TRH and RGH-2202 attenuated the kainate-induced seizures and inhibited the kainate-evoked neurotoxicity in vivo and in vitro. These results support the hypothesis of a potential utility of TRH and its analogues in the treatment of seizures and some neurodegenerative diseases.

Opioid peptide pharmacology and immunocytochemistry in an animal model of self-sustaining status epilepticus

In a model of self-sustaining status epilepticus induced in rats by 30 min intermittent stimulation of the perforant path through chronically implanted electrodes, a decrease in dynorphin-like immunoreactivity in the dentate gyrus and CA3 was observed 3 h and 24 h after the induction of status epilepticus. Enkephalin-like immunoreactivity decreased 3 h but not 24 h after perforant path stimulation. Injection into the hilus of the dentate gyrus 10 min prior to stimulation of the kappa-receptor agonist dynorphin-A(1-13), the delta-receptor antagonists ICI-174864 and naltrindole, as well as i.p. injection of naloxone prevented the development of status epilepticus. Perihilar administration of the delta-agonist [D-Ser2]Leu-enkephalin-Thr6 or the kappa-antagonist nor-Binaltorphimine, but not of the mu-agonist [D-Ala2,N-Me-Phe4,Gly-ol5]-Enkephalin, facilitated the establishment of self-sustaining status epilepticus. Injection into the hilus of dynorphin-A(1-13) after the end of perforant path stimulation, stopped established status epilepticus, while administration of naloxone, naltrindole and ICI-174864 were ineffective. We conclude that kappa-opioids in the hippocampus counteract initiation and maintenance of status epilepticus, while delta-opioids promote initiation, but not maintenance of seizure activity. These data are important for the understanding the mechanisms which underlie initiation and maintenance of status epilepticus and for the development of new approaches for its effective management.

The effect of acute kainic acid treatment on mu-opioid receptors in rat brain

There is evidence that acute exposure to kainic acid (KA) induces the release of endogenous ligands for opioid receptors and that mu-opioid agonists intensify KA-induced neurodegeneration. The aim of the present study was to investigate any acute toxic effects of KA upon mu-opioid receptors labelled with [3H]-DAMGO. 200-250 g rats were injected intraperitoneally with either saline or 16 mg/kg KA and brains were removed after 4 h. Membrane homogenates were prepared from the cerebellum, cortex, hippocampus, medulla and pons, midbrain and hypothalamus and striatum and in separate studies, from whole brain. In addition, frozen coronal sections were processed for comparative quantitative autoradiography. KA produced a two-fold increase in receptor affinity for [3H]-DAMGO in all regions and significant increases in receptor number in cortex, medulla and pons and striatum. Quantitative autoradiography showed similar significantly increased mu-labelling of structures comprising these gross anatomical regions. The findings demonstrate region specific changes in rat brain mu-opioid receptors after acute KA treatment which may be functionally related to the convulsant effects of this excitotoxin.

Kappa opioid receptor agonists inhibit the pilocarpine-induced seizures and toxicity in the mouse

Involvement of the kappa opioid receptor in regulation of the pilocarpine-induced seizures and neurodegeneration was studied in mice. Administration of pilocarpine (400 mg/kg i.p.) resulted in a sequence of behavioral alterations including motor limbic seizures. Pretreatment of mice with the selective kappa opioid receptor agonist U69,593 (2 and 20 mg/kg i.p.) or PD117,302 (0.1 and 1 mg/kg i.p.) increased the latency of motor seizures and decreased the seizure severity and mortality. Those effects were abolished in animals pretreated with the specific kappa opioid receptor antagonist nor-binaltorphimine (Nor-BNI, 10 mg/kg i.p.). Examination of frontal forebrain sections by light microscopy revealed widespread damage, especially within the hippocampal formation, in pilocarpine-treated mice. Both U69,593 and PD117,503 protected the integrity of hippocampal neurons, especially in the CA1 region, that effect being reversed by Nor-BNI. The above data indicate that activation of the kappa opioid receptor exerts an inhibitory effect on the pilocarpine-induced limbic seizures and neurotoxicity.

Non-NMDA receptor-mediated regulation of hypothalamic dopaminergic neurons in the rat

The purpose of the present study was to examine the effects of non-NMDA receptor blockade and activation on the activity of tuberoinfundibular dopaminergic (TIDA), periventricular-hypophysial dopaminergic (PHDA) and, for comparison, nigrostriatal dopaminergic (NSDA) neurons in male and female rats. The activity of TIDA, PHDA and NSDA neurons was estimated by measuring the concentration of the primary dopamine metabolite 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) in the median eminence, intermediate lobe of the posterior pituitary and striatum, respectively. Systemic administration of the alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methylisoxazole-4-propionic acid (AMPA)-selective antagonist 6-nitro-7-sulfamoyl-benzo[f]quinoxaline-2,3(1H,4H)-dione (NBQX) increased DOPAC concentrations in the median eminence and intermediate lobe, and decreased plasma concentrations of prolactin and alpha-MSH, in a dose- and time-related manner. In contrast, NBQX had no effect on DOPAC concentrations in the striatum, suggesting that non-NMDA receptors are not involved in the tonic regulation of NSDA neurons. The increase in DOPAC concentrations in the median eminence and intermediate lobe, and the decrease in plasma concentrations of prolactin and alpha-MSH, produced by NBQX were prevented by AMPA but not by kainic acid. Taken together, the results demonstrate that endogenous excitatory amino acid neurotransmitters, acting at AMPA receptors, tonically inhibit both TIDA and PHDA neurons, and thereby increase the secretion of prolactin and alpha-MSH in male and female rats.

Activation of kappa-opioid receptors in the nucleus ambiguus does not affect cardiovascular function or outcome following acute hemorrhage in the rat

The central cardiovascular response to hemorrhage is believed to be regulated, in part, by specific brain cardioregulatory nuclei, including the nucleus ambiguus (NA) of the hindbrain. Since endogenous opioid peptides and opiate receptors have been localized to this brain region, activation of endogenous opioid systems in the NA may affect the cardiovascular response to acute hemorrhage. The present study examined the effects of intracerebral microinjection of kappa-receptor agonists into the NA prior to acute fixed-volume hemorrhage in awake rats. 15 min prior to fixed volume hemorrhage (7.5 ml/300 g), male Sprague-Dawley rats (n = 59) received a microinjection of either (1) the synthetic kappa-receptor agonist U-50,488H (10 nM) or (2) U-50,488H (100 nM) or (3) the endogenous kappa-receptor agonist dynorphin 1-17 (1 nM) or (4) Des-Tyr dynorphin 2-17, inactive at opiate receptors (1 nM) or (5) equal volume saline. With the exception of the first 10 min post-hemorrhage, where intracerebral injection of both dynorphin 1-17 and dynorphin 2-17 caused a transient suppression of mean arterial blood pressure (P < 0.05 when compared to saline-treated controls), microinjection of the kappa-agonists dynorphin 1-17 or U-50,488H had no effect on blood pressure, heart rate or mortality when compared to control animals. These results suggest that activation of kappa-opiate receptors in the NA does not markedly influence cardiovascular response to acute hemorrhage.

Antagonists of excitatory amino acids and endogenous opioid peptides in the treatment of experimental central nervous system injury

Trauma to the central nervous system can lead to primary injuries occurring at the time of impact as well as secondary or delayed injury processes that can result from cellular hypoxia, oligemia/ischemia, edema and swelling, and intracranial hypertension that are manifested over a period of hours to weeks after the initial event. Although the mechanisms underlying delayed tissue injury are poorly understood, they appear to be associated with endogenous neurochemical changes resulting from traumatic nervous system injury. These neurochemical changes may include excessive neurotransmitter release, deregulation of ion homeostasis, and the synthesis, release, or activation of various "autodestructive" neurochemical factors. Experimental studies over the past decade indicate that these alterations mediate important components of the neurochemical cascade leading to central nervous system injury. Furthermore, pharmacologic manipulations of these neurochemical changes have been reported to attenuate secondary central nervous system damage, ameliorate neuronal death, and promote functional recovery after central nervous system injury. This article focuses on the role of excitatory amino acid neurotransmitters, endogenous opioid peptides, and magnesium in the pathophysiology of central nervous system injury and on the therapeutic manipulation of these systems to improve functional outcome after central nervous system injury.

Excitatory and inhibitory pathways modulate kainate excitotoxicity in hippocampal slice cultures

In organotypic hippocampal slice cultures, kainate (KA) specifically induces cell loss in the CA3 region while N-methyl-D-aspartate induces cell loss in the CA1 region. The sensitivity of slice cultures to KA toxicity appears only after 2 weeks in vitro which parallels the appearance of mossy fibers. KA toxicity is potentiated by co-application with the GABA-A antagonist, picrotoxin. These data suggest that the excitotoxicity of KA in slice cultures is modulated by both excitatory and inhibitory synapses.

Novel pharmacologic therapies in the treatment of experimental traumatic brain injury: a review

Delayed or secondary neuronal damage following traumatic injury to the central nervous system (CNS) may result from pathologic changes in the brain's endogenous neurochemical systems. Although the precise mechanisms mediating secondary damage are poorly understood, posttraumatic neurochemical changes may include overactivation of neurotransmitter release or re-uptake, changes in presynaptic or postsynaptic receptor binding, or the pathologic release or synthesis of endogenous "autodestructive" factors. The identification and characterization of these factors and the timing of the neurochemical cascade after CNS injury provides a window of opportunity for treatment with pharmacologic agents that modify synthesis, release, receptor binding, or physiologic activity with subsequent attenuation of neuronal damage and improvement in outcome. Over the past decade, a number of studies have suggested that modification of postinjury events through pharmacologic intervention can promote functional recovery in both a variety of animal models and clinical CNS injury. This article summarizes recent work suggesting that pharmacologic manipulation of endogenous systems by such diverse pharmacologic agents as anticholinergics, excitatory amino acid antagonists, endogenous opioid antagonists, catecholamines, serotonin antagonists, modulators of arachidonic acid, antioxidants and free radical scavengers, steroid and lipid peroxidation inhibitors, platelet activating factor antagonists, anion exchange inhibitors, magnesium, gangliosides, and calcium channel antagonists may improve functional outcome after brain injury.

The prodynorphin system in the rat hippocampus is differentially influenced by kainic acid and pentetrazole

Administration of kainic acid (15 mg/kg, i.p.) or pentetrazole (75 mg/kg, i.p.) to rats evoked recurrent limbic or tonic-clonic seizures, respectively. Radioimmunoassay showed that the level of alpha-neoendorphin (prodynorphin-derived peptide) in the hippocampus was decreased after 3 h (by c. 60%) and 72 h (by c. 40%), but was not changed after 24 h following kainic acid administration. The basal release of alpha-neoendorphin from hippocampal slices of kainic acid-treated rats was decreased after 3, 24 and 72 h following the drug injection by c. 50%. The K(+)-stimulated release was decreased after 3 and 24 h (by c. 300 and 200%, respectively) and was back to the control level after 72 h. An in situ hybridization study showed that kainic acid strongly enhanced the prodynorphin messenger RNA levels in the dentate gyrus after 3 and 24 h (by c. 200%), whereas after 72 h it tended to decrease. Twenty four hours after pentetrazole injection the hippocampal level of alpha-neoendorphin was elevated (by c. 33%) and remained unchanged after 3 and 72 h. No significant changes in the basal or K(+)-stimulated alpha-neoendorphin release from hippocampal slices of pentetrazole-treated rats were found at any time points measured. Three and 24 h after pentetrazole administration the level of prodynorphin mRNA in the dentate gyrus was slightly decreased (by c. 30%), but was back to the control values after 72 h. Hence seizure-related changes in hippocampal prodynorphin neuron activity seem to depend on the experimental model of epilepsy.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Kainic acid depresses the ex vivo release of dynorphin B and glutamate from rat hippocampal mossy fiber synaptosomes

This experiment examined the effects of intracerebroventricularly (i.c.v.) administered kainic acid (KA) on the subsequent ex vivo release of L-glutamate (Glu) and dynorphin B-like immunoreactivity (Dyn B-LI) from isolated rat hippocampal mossy fiber (MF) synaptosomes at 4.5 h, 20 h or 48 h after administration of 0.5 microgram/microliter KA. The Dyn B-LI content in the synaptosomal fraction initially decreased at 4.5 h and then rebounded and remained elevated above control levels at 20 h and 48 h. The K(+)-evoked release of Dyn B-LI from the synaptosomes was markedly depressed at 4.5 h after KA and remained significantly below control levels at 20 h and 48 h. In contrast, KA caused no change in the K(+)-evoked release of Glu at 4.5 h as compared to control levels, but did result in a significant decrease in Glu release at 20 h and 48 h. These data indicate a persistent effect of i.c.v. KA on neurotransmission at MF-CA3 synapses in rat hippocampus, resulting in a suppression of the release of Glu as well as the opioid peptide, Dyn B.

Repeated ethanol administration decreases prodynorphin biosynthesis in the rat hippocampus

The effect of single and repeated (19 days) intragastric ethanol administration on prodynorphin mRNA and alpha-neoendorphin levels in the hippocampus of the rat was studied using in situ hybridization and RIA methods, respectively. Single ethanol administration had no effect on either of these two parameters. Repeated ethanol administration decreased both immunoreactive (ir) alpha-neoendorphin (by ca. 37%) and prodynorphin mRNA (by ca. 57%) levels. Two days after the last dose of ethanol no changes in the ir-alpha-neoendorphin tissue content were found, whereas the level of prodynorphin mRNA remained decreased (by ca. 44%). These results suggest that repeated ethanol evokes a long-lasting decrease in the biosynthesis of hippocampal prodynorphin, this effect that may play some role in the ethanol-induced deficiency of neuronal functions.

Antagonism of kainic acid lesions in the mouse hippocampus by U-54494A and U-50488H

A morphometric study of kainic acid- (KA) induced lesions was designed for the study of the interaction of the diamines U-5449A and U-50488H with excitatory amino acids, and the dose-response relationship thereof. IC50S determined for binding at the kappa receptor and other opioid receptors demonstrated the lack of kappa activity of U-54494A, a structurally related analog of U-50488H. Both opiate kappa receptor related anticonvulsant diamines were tested for their ability to protect the mouse hippocampus from the cytopathological changes induced by KA in neurons and glia. The damage observed with i.c.v. KA in mouse was restricted to neurons of the CA3 pyramidal region and glia of the hippocampus. It involved massive cell loss and shrunken neurons with dark cytoplasm and nuclei. Groups treated with combinations of KA and U-54494A or U-50488H showed scarce damage, but patches of necrotic changes were still observed. Control animals treated with saline (i.c.v.) and U-54494A (s.c.) or U-50488H (s.c.) did not suffer any noticeable alterations of the polymorphic layers of the hippocampal formation. Image analysis of the CA3 area of the hippocampus was used to quantitate the vacuolization induced by KA lesions in the control and treated groups. By this method, both U-54494A and U-50488H were shown to protect this area in a dose-related fashion as evidenced by reduced vacuolization. The anticonvulsant properties of these compounds may result in the antagonism of the excitotoxic lesions. More specifically, the ability of these diamines to block depolarization-induced influxes of Ca++ may protect the CA3 cells from the cytotoxic effects of persistent depolarization.

Opioid mu and delta receptor antagonists reduce wet dog shaking elicited by perforant path stimulation

Stimulation of the perforant path, a major input to the hippocampal formation, produced significant decreases in the hippocampal levels of methionine enkephalin, dynorphin A(1-8) and an increase in the hippocampal level of gamma-aminobutyric acid. In addition, it was also observed that both mu and delta opioid receptor antagonists reduce wet dog shakes elicited by perforant path stimulation. The antagonists did not affect the changes in hippocampal levels of methionine enkephalin, dynorphin A(1-8) or gamma-aminobutyric acid. The results demonstrate that endogenous opioids are involved in the wet dog shakes elicited by perforant path stimulation. Since electrographic seizure activity occurs in the hippocampus in conjunction with perforant path stimulation-induced wet dog shakes, these data provide further evidence that endogenous opioid peptides play an important role in regulation of limbic system epileptogenic phenomena.

Influence of kynurenine treatment on open-field activity, elevated plus-maze, avoidance behaviors and seizures in rats

In the present studies the effects of single and daily repeated injections of kynurenine were investigated in different behavioral tests in rats. In open-field behavior a single injection of kynurenine decreased rearing activity, while the effect was more pronounced after repeated injections. Similarly, in the elevated plus-maze, kynurenine attenuated the total number of entries in the four arms of the equipment, and after chronic treatment decreased the time spent in the open arms (control: 24%; kynurenine 100 mg/kg: 16%; kynurenine 200 mg/kg: 13%). Kynurenine did not influence the passive avoidance learning paradigm (learning session and avoidance latency) and the extinction of active avoidance response. Kynurenine slightly attenuated the kainic acid-induced wet dog shakes and forelimb clonic activity with rearing. These findings suggest that kynurenine (especially after repeated peripheral injections) inhibited several behavioral responses of the experimental animals. However, in one type of highly motivated experimental paradigm (fear from the foot shock), behavioral depression was not detectable.

Ventral hippocampal dentate granule cell lesions enhance motor seizures but reduce wet dog shakes induced by mu opioid receptor agonist

The role of the ventral hippocampal dentate granule neurons in the mu opioid receptor agonist-induced motor seizures and wet dog shakes was examined in this study. [NMe-Phe3-D-Pro4]morphiceptin (9.4 nmol) was injected into the left ventral hippocampus of rats 14 days after unilateral or bilateral colchicine (5 nmol/site) lesions of ventral hippocampal dentate granule cells and the subsequent behavioral and neuropathological responses were observed. [NMe-Phe3-D-Pro4]morphiceptin injected into control animals produced convulsions and numerous wet dog shakes that lasted for less than 1 h. [NMe-Phe-D-Pro4]morphiceptin-induced wet dog shakes were significantly reduced in unilateral colchicine-pretreated rats, and completely inhibited in bilateral colchicine-pretreated animals. In contrast, generalized motor seizures evoked by [NMe-Phe3-D-Pro4]morphiceptin were potentiated and prolonged in colchicine-pretreated animals as status epilepticus (sustained clonus of forepaws and head for more than 1 h) was observed in both unilateral and bilateral colchicine-pretreated animals but not in control rats. No morphological damage of granule or pyramidal cells was found in the ventral hippocampus of control animals following [NMe-Phe3-D-Pro4]morphiceptin injection. Colchicine treatment by itself produced a selective lesion of dentate granule cells. In colchicine-pretreated animals, [NMe-Phe3-D-Pro4]morphiceptin induced widespread seizure-related damage of CA3/CA1 pyramidal cells. These results suggest that dentate granule cells in the ventral hippocampus are essential for the elaboration of wet dog shakes. However, these neurons may play an inhibitory role in the spread of seizure activity within the hippocampus or limbic structures.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)