Belladonna alkaloid combined with morphine for morphine-addicted mice

Xinhua GUO; Changyi MA; Yongzhong YANG; Zheng YUAN; Yuning LIU; Liguang WANG

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND:

Belladonna drugs have been widely used in clinic in our country to improve microcirculation, or as a herbal anesthetic drug. However,there are few reports regarding the animal experiments on belladonna alkaloid against morphine addiction further

OBJECTIVE:

To observe the effects of belladonna alkaloid combined with morphine on morphine(Mor)-addicted mice so as to provide an experimental basis for development of belladonna to morphine addiction.

DESIGN:

A completely randomized-controlled study based on the experimental animals.

SETTING:

Laboratory of physiology of a medical college.MATERIALS The study was performed at the Laboratory of Physiology of Medical Department of Hebei Engineering College from June 2004 to August 2004. Fifty 2-month old male healthy Kunming mice of clean grade with a body mass of(20±2) g were obtained from Experimental Animal Centre of Hebei Medical University.

METHODS:

According to evaluation index of dependence in Morphine-addicted animals, we chose pain threshold and naloxone-urged jumping response as items to observe. Fifty mice were randomly divided into 5 groups with 10 mice each, which were the control group (saline), the morphine group, the scopolamine(Sco)group, the anisodamine(Ani), atropine(Atr)group. The corresponding drugs or saline was administered by intraperitoneal (I. P.) injection once a day for 7 days. The pain threshold at 1 hour after I. P. Injection of drugs was observed from day 1 to day 7 by hot-plate method. Mice were given I.p. Injection of naloxone (Nal, 5 mg/kg ) 6hours after the last injection. The jumping times within 30 minutes were observed to evaluate the ,formation of the Morphine addiction.Nal-urged mice.

RESULTS:

The pain threshold of the mice in Morphine group was decreased significantly, and the jumping times and jumping rate were obviously increased compared with that of the control group( P ＜ 0.05 or P ＜ 0.01).The co-administration of Sco-Mor mixtures for 7 days significantly increased the pain threshold of Mor-dependent mice( P ＜ 0.01) and markedly decreased the jumping times and the jumping rate( P ＜ 0. 05) . Atr-Mor and Ani-Mor had a weak effect on the elevation of the pain threshold of Mor-dependent mice, but had strong effects on the decrease of the jumping times and the jumping rate( P ＜ 0. 01 ).

CONCLUSION:

Belladonna alkaloids all could antagonize Mor-dependence in mice at different degrees, which provide an important experimental evidence to develop belladonna drugs for preventing opium addiction.