Abstract
The present study examined the opioid receptors involved in the antitussive effect of dihydroetorphine in mice. Dihydroetorphine suppressed coughs dose dependently at doses between 0.1–1 μg/kg i.p. Blockade of μ-opioid receptors by pretreatment with β-funaltrexamine significantly reduced the antitussive effect of dihydroetorphine. Furthermore, the antitussive effect of dihydroetorphine was also antagonized by nor-binaltorphimine, a κ-opioid receptor antagonist. However, pretreatment with naltrindole, a δ-opioid receptor antagonist, did not affect the antitussive effect of dihydroetorphine. These results indicate that the antitussive effect of dihydroetorphine is mediated by the activation of μ-opioid receptors and κ-opioid receptors, but not δ-opioid receptors.
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