Broad analgesic profile of buprenorphine in rodent models of acute and chronic pain

• Published in: European journal of pharmacology 2005-01, Vol.507 (1), p.87-98
• Main Authors: Christoph, Thomas, Kögel, Babette, Schiene, Klaus, Méen, Murielle, De Vry, Jean, Friderichs, Elmar
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acute Disease; Analgesic; Analgesics, Opioid - administration & dosage; Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Buprenorphine - administration & dosage; Chronic Disease; Disease Models, Animal; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Inflammatory pain; Male; Medical sciences; Mice; Neuropathic pain; Nociception; Pain - drug therapy; Pain - physiopathology; Pain Measurement - drug effects; Pain Measurement - methods; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Rat, Mouse; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley
• ISSN: 0014-2999; 1879-0712
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2004.11.052

Buprenorphine is a potent opioid analgesic clinically used to treat moderate to severe pain. The present study assessed its analgesic efficacy in a broad range of rodent models of acute and chronic pain. In the phenylquinone writhing, hot plate, and tail flick mouse models of acute pain, full analgesic efficacy was obtained (ED 50 values: 0.0084–0.16 mg/kg i.v.). Full analgesic efficacy was also obtained in yeast- and formalin-induced inflammatory pain (ED 50 values: 0.0024–0.025 mg/kg i.v., rats and mice) and in mustard-oil-induced spontaneous pain, referred allodynia, and referred hyperalgesia in mice (ED 50 values: 0.018–0.025 mg/kg i.v.). Buprenorphine strongly inhibited mechanical and cold allodynia in mononeuropathic rats, as well as mechanical hyperalgesia and cold allodynia in polyneuropathic rats (ED 50 values: 0.055 and 0.036 mg/kg i.v. and 0.129 and 0.038 mg/kg i.p., respectively). It is concluded that buprenorphine shows a broad analgesic profile and offers the opportunity to treat different pain conditions, including neuropathic pain.