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Research ArticleArticle

Chronic Exposure to Morphine Decreases Physiologically Active Corticosterone in Both Male and Female Rats but by Different Mechanisms

Bruce Nock, Theodore J. Cicero and Michele Wich
Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics August 1998, 286 (2) 875-882;
Bruce Nock
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Theodore J. Cicero
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Michele Wich
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Abstract

We previously reported that chronic exposure of male rats to morphine markedly increases the concentration of corticosteroid-binding globulin (CBG) in blood. This in turn appears to greatly reduce the amount of corticosterone available to intracellular receptors. In the study reported here, we found that in contrast to the effect in males, morphine has no apparent effect on CBG in females. This pronounced sex difference does not appear to be attributable to differences in morphine pharmacokinetics, short-term actions of gonadal hormones in adulthood or sex differences in CBG or corticosterone levels. In any case, it is evident that morphine does not decrease the level of physiologically active corticosterone through CBG in females as it appears to do in males. On the other hand, we also found a distinct sex difference with regard to the effects of morphine on corticosterone. Chronic exposure to morphine had no apparent effect on corticosterone levels in males but resulted in markedly lower levels in females. Thus, morphine appears to cause a deficit in physiologically active corticosterone in both sexes but by different mechanisms.

Footnotes

  • Send reprint requests to: Bruce Nock, Ph.D., Washington University School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, 4940 Children’s Place, St. Louis, MO 63110. E-mail: bruce{at}dcm.wustl.edu

  • ↵1 This research was supported in part by USPHS Grants DA09344 (Bruce Nock), DA03833 (Theodore J. Cicero) and DA09140 (Theodore J. Cicero) from the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

  • Abbreviations:
    ACTH
    adrenocorticotropic hormone
    ADX
    adrenalectomy
    CAST
    castration
    CBG
    corticosteroid-binding globulin
    HIV
    human immunodeficiency virus
    OVX
    ovariectomy
    RIA
    radioimmunoassay
    • Received June 16, 1997.
    • Accepted April 20, 1998.
  • The American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics
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Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics
Vol. 286, Issue 2
1 Aug 1998
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Research ArticleArticle

Chronic Exposure to Morphine Decreases Physiologically Active Corticosterone in Both Male and Female Rats but by Different Mechanisms

Bruce Nock, Theodore J. Cicero and Michele Wich
Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics August 1, 1998, 286 (2) 875-882;

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Research ArticleArticle

Chronic Exposure to Morphine Decreases Physiologically Active Corticosterone in Both Male and Female Rats but by Different Mechanisms

Bruce Nock, Theodore J. Cicero and Michele Wich
Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics August 1, 1998, 286 (2) 875-882;
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