PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Evan F. Fullerton
AU  - Myurajan Rubaharan
AU  - Mary C. Karom
AU  - Richard I. Hanberry
AU  - Anne Z. Murphy
TI  - Advanced age attenuates the antihyperalgesic effect of morphine and decreases μ-opioid receptor expression and binding in the rat midbrain Periaqueductal Gray in male and female rats
AID  - 10.1101/2020.06.16.154740
DP  - 2020 Jan 01
TA  - bioRxiv
PG  - 2020.06.16.154740
4099  - http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2020/06/17/2020.06.16.154740.short
4100  - http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2020/06/17/2020.06.16.154740.full
AB  - The present study investigated the impact of advanced age on morphine modulation of persistent inflammatory pain in male and female rats. The impact of age, sex, and pain on μ-opioid receptor (MOR) expression and binding in the ventrolateral PAG (vlPAG) was also examined using immunohistochemistry and receptor autoradiography. Intraplantar administration of Complete Freund’s adjuvant induced comparable levels of edema and hyperalgesia in adult (2-3mos) and aged (16-18mos) male and female rats. Morphine potency was highest in adult males, with a two-fold decrease in morphine EC50 observed in aged versus adult males (10.22mg/kg versus 5.19mg/kg). Adult and aged female rats also exhibited significantly higher EC50 values (10.69 mg/kg and 9.00 mg/kg, respectively) compared to adult males. The upward shift in EC50 from adult to aged males was paralleled by a reduction in vlPAG MOR expression and binding. The observed age-related reductions in morphine potency and vlPAG MOR expression and binding have significant implications in pain management in the aged population.Competing Interest StatementThe authors have declared no competing interest.