Improgan, a nonopioid antinociceptive agent, activates descending, pain-relieving mechanisms in the brain stem, but the receptor for this compound has not been identified. Because cannabinoids also activate nonopioid analgesia by a brain stem action, experiments were performed to assess the significance of cannabinoid mechanisms in improgan antinociception. The cannabinoid CB 1 antagonist N-(piperidin-1-yl)-5-(4-chlorophenyl)-1-(2,4-dichlorophenyl)-4-methyl-1H-pyrazole-3-carboxamide (SR141716A) induced dose-dependent inhibition of improgan antinociception on the tail-flick test after i.c.v. administration in rats. The same treatments yielded comparable inhibition of cannabinoid {R-(ϩ)-(2,3-dihydro-5-methyl-3-[(4-mor pholinyl)methyl]pyrol[1,2,3-de]-1,4-benzoxazin-6-yl)(1-naphthalenyl)methanone monomethanesulfonate, WIN 55,212-2} analgesia. Inhibition of improgan and WIN 55,212-2 antinociception by SR141716A was also observed in Swiss-Webster mice. Radioligand binding studies showed no appreciable affinity of improgan on rat brain, mouse brain, and human recombinant CB 1 receptors, ruling out a direct action at these sites. To test the hypothesis that CB 1 receptors indirectly participate in improgan signaling, the effects of improgan were assessed in mice with a null mutation of the CB 1 gene with and without SR141716A pretreatment. Surprisingly, improgan induced complete antinociception in both CB 1 (Ϫ/Ϫ) and wild-type control [CB 1 (ϩ/ϩ)] mice. Furthermore, SR141716A inhibited improgan antinociception in CB 1 (ϩ/ϩ) mice, but not in CB 1 (Ϫ/Ϫ) mice. Taken together, the results show that SR141716A reduces improgan antinociception, but neither cannabinoids nor CB 1 receptors seem to play an obligatory role in improgan signaling. Present and previous studies suggest that ⌬ 9 -tetrahydrocannabinol may act at both CB 1 and other receptors to relieve pain, but no evidence was found indicating that improgan uses either of these mechanisms. SR141716A will facilitate the study of improgan-like analgesics.
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