Histopathology and evaluation of potentiation of morphine-induced antinociception by intrathecal droperidol in the rat.

G Grip, B A Svensson, T Gordh, C Post, P Hartvig

Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, University Hospital, Uppsala, Sweden.

Acta anaesthesiologica Scandinavica 1992 Feb

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Clinical studies have indicated that a low dose of the dopamine D2-receptor antagonist droperidol given epidurally potentiate the antinociceptive effect of epidural morphine. The present study was conducted in order to evaluate this drug interaction in a rat model. Rats were given morphine and droperidol intrathecally in several combinations of doses. It was found that droperidol had no antinociceptive effect by itself, nor in combination with morphine. It was also shown that droperidol and morphine exert no histopathological effects on the rat spinal cord. This discrepancy between clinical findings and experimental pain studies suggests different modes of action of droperidol in the two situations.

Citation

G Grip, B A Svensson, T Gordh, C Post, P Hartvig. Histopathology and evaluation of potentiation of morphine-induced antinociception by intrathecal droperidol in the rat. Acta anaesthesiologica Scandinavica. 1992 Feb;36(2):145-52