Improgan-induced hypothermia: a role for cannabinoid receptors in improgan-induced changes in nociceptive threshold and body temperature.

Improgan, a congener of the H(2) antagonist cimetidine, produces non-opioid antinociception which is blocked by the CB(1) antagonist rimonabant, implying a cannabinoid mechanism of action. Since cannabinoids produce hypothermia as well as antinociception in rodents, the present study investigated the pharmacological activity of improgan on core body temperature and nociceptive (tail flick) responses. Improgan (60, 100 and 140 microg, intraventricular [ivt]) elicited significant decreases in core temperature 3-30 min following injection with a maximal hypothermic effect of -1.3 degrees C. Pretreatment with rimonabant (50 microg, ivt) produced a statistically significant but incomplete (29-42%) antagonism of improgan hypothermia. In control experiments, the CB(1) agonist CP-55,940 (37.9 microg, ivt) induced significant decreases in core temperature (-1.8 degrees C) 3-30 min following injection. However, unlike the case with improgan, pretreatment with rimonabant completely blocked CP-55,940 hypothermia. Furthermore, CP-55,940 and improgan elicited maximal antinociception over the same time course and dose ranges, and both effects were attenuated by rimonabant. These results show that, like cannabinoid agonists in the rat, improgan produces antinociception and hypothermia which is blocked by a CB(1) antagonist. Unlike cannabinoid agonists, however, improgan does not produce locomotor inhibition at antinociceptive doses. Additional experiments were performed to determine the effect of CC12, a recently discovered improgan antagonist which lacks affinity at CB(1) receptors. Pretreatment with CC12 (183 microg, ivt) produced complete inhibition of both the antinociception and the hypothermia produced by improgan, suggesting the possible role of an unknown improgan receptor in both of these effects.