Intracerebroventricular administration of angiotensin II attenuates morphine-induced analgesia in mice

The central effect of angiotensin II on the analgesic action of morphine in mice was investigated using the tail-pinch and hot plate tests. Angiotensin II (0.1-10 pmol), given intracerebroventricularly (i.c.v.), had no effect on the nociceptive sensitivity but did produce a dose-dependent attenuation of the morphine-induced analgesia. A specific angiotensin II antagonist, Saralasin (1 pmol), which in itself had no analgesic effect, significantly potentiated the morphine-induced analgesia. These results suggest that angiotensin II probably plays the physiological role of an anti-opioid substance in pain-modulating systems in the brain.