Nitrous oxide-induced hypothermia in the rat
Exposure of rats to high levels of nitrous oxide (N2O) in oxygen reduced body temperature in a concentration-related manner. The hypothermia was partly reversed by pretreatment with naloxone but not naltrexone. But in rats rendered tolerant to morphine by pellet implantation, exposure to 75% N2O/25% O2 evoked a marked hypothermia similar to that observed in morphine-naive animals. In another experiment, the hypothermic effect of chloral hydrate was also sensitive to antagonism by pretreatment with naloxone but not naltrexone. These observations lead the authors to suspect that N2O-induced hypothermia in rats is possibly not mediated by opiate receptors. The thermotropic activity of N2O may result from some non-opioid action of N2O. Its selective antagonism by naloxone (but not naltrexone) may be due to a unique non-opioid analeptic action of naloxone. 32 references, 4 figures.
- Research Organization:
- Marquette Univ. School of Dentistry, Milwaukee, WI
- OSTI ID:
- 6290851
- Journal Information:
- Life Sci.; (United States), Vol. 41:6
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
NITROUS OXIDE
TOXICITY
RATS
HYPOTHERMIA
DOSE-RESPONSE RELATIONSHIPS
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
RESPONSE MODIFYING FACTORS
ANIMALS
BODY TEMPERATURE
CHALCOGENIDES
DATA
INFORMATION
MAMMALS
NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
NITROGEN OXIDES
NUMERICAL DATA
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
RODENTS
VERTEBRATES
560300* - Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology