Effects of opiate receptor drugs injected intracerebrally into the normovolemic and hypovolemic monkey.

Systemic injection of naloxone (NAL), an opioid-receptor antagonist, significantly elevates systolic blood pressure (SBP) in anesthetized hypovolemic monkeys, providing indirect evidence that endogenous opioids contribute to cardiovascular depression during shock. The purpose of this study was to identify specific centrally located opioid receptor sites that participate in SBP regulation under normovolemic and hypovolemic conditions. In 6 monkeys, bilateral guide cannulae were stereotaxically implanted above areas ranging from the diencephalon to the lower medulla. Microinjections (1 microliter) of D- Ala2-Met-enkephalinamide (DAME) (3.4-27.2 nM) into normovolemic unanesthetized monkeys reduced SBP by 10-65 mm Hg in a dose-related fashion. Subsequent injection of NAL (12.2 nM) attenuated this hypotensive response. Heart rate fell 20-40 bpm with DAME, but not in response to dose. In the anesthetized animal rendered hypotensive (SBP = 45 mm Hg) by hemorrhage. NAL injected into predetermined DAME-sensitive sites failed to increase SBP more than 5 mm Hg. Even consecutive injections into multiple sites elevated SBP only 20 mm Hg. We conclude that the centrally located opioid-sensitive sites tested exert only a mild influence in mediating hemorrhagic hypotension.