Summary
Spinalized rats received an intrathecal injection of either (−)-nicotine or (+)-nicotine in order to study the stereoselectivity of antinociception. Pain threshold was measured using the tail-flick test. Both stereoisomers had antinociceptive effects, but (−)-nicotine was up to 970 times more potent, depending on test conditions. The antinociceptive action of (−)-nicotine was antagonized by mecamylamine and yohimbine but not by naloxone and atropine. The findings show that spinal mechanisms are highly stereoselective toward nicotine, and suggest that primarily nicotinergic andalpha-adrenergic receptors are involved in its central antinociceptive effects.
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Christensen, M.K., Smith, D.F. Antinociceptive effects of the stereoisomers of nicotine given intrathecally in spinal rats. J. Neural Transmission 80, 189–194 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01245120
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01245120