The antinociceptive effect of fluvoxamine

Shaul Schreiber, Maria M. Backer, Joseph Yanai, Chaim G. Pick*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

73 Scopus citations

Abstract

The authors conducted a study in order to evaluate the antinociceptive effects of the serotonin-selective reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressant fluvoxamine and its interaction with various opioid receptor subtypes. Male ICR mice were tested with a hotplate analgesia meter. Fluvoxamine elicited antinociceptive effect in a dose-dependent manner following i.p., i.t. and i.c.v. injection. Naloxone 10 mg/kg s.c. did not abolish the fluvoxamine antinociceptive effect. At the next stage fluvoxamine was administered together with various agonists of opioid receptors. When administered together with opiates, fluvoxamine significantly potentiated analgesia at the κ3-opioid receptor subtype (P < .005) and to a lesser extent, at the μ-, δ-, and κ1-opioid receptors. We conclude that fluvoxamine alone induces an antinociceptive effect. This effect is mediated by a non-opioid mechanism of action. These results suggest a potential role for fluvoxamine in the management of pain when co-administered with opioids at low doses.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)281-284
Number of pages4
JournalEuropean Neuropsychopharmacology
Volume6
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - Nov 1996

Keywords

  • SSRI's
  • analgesia
  • antidepressants
  • fluvoxamine
  • hotplate
  • opioid receptor subtypes
  • pain

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'The antinociceptive effect of fluvoxamine'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this