The consumption of fentanyl is increased in rats with nociceptive but not with neuropathic pain

Abstract

The question whether opioids relieve neuropathic pain remains a controversial issue. Experimental as well as clinical studies report contradictory results. This study investigated the consumption of fentanyl, a short-acting opioid, in rats with neuropathic pain, induced by partial sciatic nerve injury. The experiment consisted of a drug choice procedure in which the animals could choose between a solution containing 0.008 mg/ml of fentanyl and a highly palatable sweet solution. It was reasoned that if opioids have an analgesic effect in neuropathic pain, this will reinforce the intake of fentanyl more so in rats with neuropathic pain than in pain-free controls. This protocol was previously already used by Colpaert et al. (1982) in a rat model of chronic pain of nociceptive origin, namely polyarthritis. No significant differences were found in the relative oral intake of the fentanyl solution in mononeuropathic and pain-free control rats. In contrast, rats with nociceptive pain, adjuvant monoarthritis, drank significantly more of the fentanyl solution than did control rats. These data give experimental support for the clinical findings that opioids have a poor analgesic effect in neuropathic pain.