Abstract

Mice either were administered 10, 30 or 100 mg/kg of morphine sulfate acutely or were chronically implanted with pellets containing morphine, naloxone or pentazocine. They were then injected intraperitoneally or intracerebroventricularly with [5-3H] uridine or [5-3H] orotic acid either 30 minutes, 24 hours of 48 hours before sacrifice. The incorporation of the 3H into brain total homogenate, ribonucleic acid (RNA) and uridine nucleotides was measured. The RNA content of brain and liver was also assayed. When [3H] uridine was injected. i.p. 30 minutes before sacrifice, acute injection of 30 or 100 mg/kg of morphine sulfate or chronic implantation of morphine pellets decreased the incorporation of the [3H] uridine into brain RNA. However, neither the acute administration of 10 mg/kg of morphine sulfate, nor the chronic administration of naloxone or pentazocine, altered the amount of radioactivity incorporated into RNA. Chronic morphine treatment decreased the incorporation of 3H into uridine nucleotides and nucleotide sugars due partially to increased catabolism of the [3H] uridine. The brain and liver RNA concentration was unchanged by chronic morphine administration. Thus, chronic morphine treatment alters the metabolism of uridine nucleotides but does not appear to alter the net synthesis of the total brain RNA.