Opposite effects of neuropeptide FF on central antinociception induced by endomorphin-1 and endomorphin-2 in mice

PLoS One. 2014 Aug 4;9(8):e103773. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0103773. eCollection 2014.

Abstract

Neuropeptide FF (NPFF) is known to be an endogenous opioid-modulating peptide. Nevertheless, very few researches focused on the interaction between NPFF and endogenous opioid peptides. In the present study, we have investigated the effects of NPFF system on the supraspinal antinociceptive effects induced by the endogenous µ-opioid receptor agonists, endomorphin-1 (EM-1) and endomorphin-2 (EM-2). In the mouse tail-flick assay, intracerebroventricular injection of EM-1 induced antinociception via µ-opioid receptor while the antinociception of intracerebroventricular injected EM-2 was mediated by both µ- and κ-opioid receptors. In addition, central administration of NPFF significantly reduced EM-1-induced central antinociception, but enhanced EM-2-induced central antinociception. The results using the selective NPFF1 and NPFF2 receptor agonists indicated that the EM-1-modulating action of NPFF was mainly mediated by NPFF2 receptor, while NPFF potentiated EM-2-induecd antinociception via both NPFF1 and NPFF2 receptors. To further investigate the roles of µ- and κ-opioid systems in the opposite effects of NPFF on central antinociception of endomprphins, the µ- and κ-opioid receptors selective agonists DAMGO and U69593, respectively, were used. Our results showed that NPFF could reduce the central antinociception of DAMGO via NPFF2 receptor and enhance the central antinociception of U69593 via both NPFF1 and NPFF2 receptors. Taken together, our data demonstrate that NPFF exerts opposite effects on central antinociception of endomorphins and provide the first evidence that NPFF potentiate antinociception of EM-2, which might result from the interaction between NPFF and κ-opioid systems.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adamantane / analogs & derivatives
  • Adamantane / pharmacology
  • Animals
  • Benzeneacetamides / pharmacology
  • Dipeptides / pharmacology
  • Enkephalin, Ala(2)-MePhe(4)-Gly(5)- / pharmacology
  • Injections, Intraventricular
  • Male
  • Mice
  • Naltrexone / administration & dosage
  • Naltrexone / analogs & derivatives
  • Naltrexone / pharmacology
  • Nociception / drug effects*
  • Oligopeptides / pharmacology*
  • Pyrrolidines / pharmacology

Substances

  • Benzeneacetamides
  • Dipeptides
  • Oligopeptides
  • Pyrrolidines
  • adamantylcarbonyl-arginyl-phenylalaninamide
  • endomorphin 1
  • Enkephalin, Ala(2)-MePhe(4)-Gly(5)-
  • norbinaltorphimine
  • endomorphin 2
  • Naltrexone
  • beta-funaltrexamine
  • phenylalanyl-leucyl-phenylalanyl-glutaminyl-prolyl-glutaminyl-arginyl-phenylalaninamide
  • naltrindole
  • U 69593
  • Adamantane

Grants and funding

This study was supported by the grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 81273355), the Key National S&T Program of the Ministry of Science and Technology (2012ZX09504001-003), Program for Changjiang Scholars and Innovative Research Team in University (IRT1137), and Program for New Century Excellent Talents in University (NCET-13-0257). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.