Methadone blockade of 2-deoxyglucose-induced pancreatic secretion in the rat.

The effects of methadone on pancreatic exocrine secretions in the rat were tested under basal conditions and after hormonal stimulation by secretin and caerulein or after stimulation of the differentially acting cholinergic agents acetylcholine, 2-deoxyglucose, and electrical stimulation of the vagus. Methadone had no effect on basal hydroelectrolytic secretion. It decreased basal enzyme secretion very slightly under our experimental conditions. The stimulatory effects of 75 mg of 2-deoxyglucose per kg were completely blocked by methadone at 5 mg per kg and this blockade was reversed by nalorphine at 6 to 9 mg per kg. It was found that there are doses of methadone (100 microgram) which block 2-deoxyglucose effects when injected into brain ventricles but are ineffective when systemically introduced. The effects of secretin, caerulein, acetylcholine, and electrical stimulation of the vagus were not depressed by methadone. These results strongly suggest that the methadone blockade of 2-deoxyglucose effects occurs at a central level and is mediated by narcotic drug receptors.