Pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic modelling of morphine transport across the blood-brain barrier as a cause of the antinociceptive effect delay in rats -: A microdialysis study

Purpose. To quantify the contribution of distributional processes across the blood-brain barrier (BBB) to the delay in antinociceptive effect of morphine in rats. Methods. Unbound morphine concentrations were monitored in venous blood and in brain extracellular fluid (ECF) using microdialysis (MD) and in arterial blood by regular sampling. Retrodialysis by drug was used for in vivo calibration of the MD probes. Morphine was infused (10 or 40 mg/kg) over 10 min intravenously. Nociception, measured by the electrical stimulation vocalisation method, and brood gas status were determined. Results. The half-life of unbound morphine in striatum was 44 min compared to 30 min in venous and arterial blood (p < 0.05). The BBB equilibration of morphine, expressed as the ratio of areas under the curve between striatum and venous blood, was less than unity (0.28 +/- 0.09 and 0.22 +/- 0.17 for 10 and 40 mg/kg), respectively, indicating active efflux of morphine across the BBB. The concentration-effect relationship exhibited a clear hysterisis with an effect delay half-life of 32 and 5 min based on arterial blood and brain ECF concentrations, respectively. Conclusions. Eighty five percent of the effect delay was caused by morphine transport across the BBB, indicating possible involvement of rate limiting mechanisms at the receptor level or distributional phenomena for the remaining effect delay of 5 min.