EFFECTS OF MORPHINE AND ITS DERIVATIVES ON INTERMEDIARY METABOLISM

IV. The Influence of Chronic Morphine and Heroin Poisoning on the Oxygen Consumption of Dog, Rat and Mouse Skeletal Muscle

¹ Department of Pharmacology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

Skeletal muscle obtained from chronically morphinized dogs and mice fortyeight hours following withdrawal of the drug has a significantly greater oxygen uptake than muscle taken from normal animals. Chronic poisoning with heroin produces an increase in the oxygen consumption of rat skeletal muscle qualitatively like that produced by chronic morphine poisoning.

Addition of morphine sulfate (0.12 per cent) to a skeletal muscle mince from normal dogs produces a significant increase in the oxygen uptake. Addition of morphine sulfate (0.12 per cent) to a skeletal muscle mince from normal mice or chronically morphinized mice or dogs causes no significant alteration in oxygen consumption.