Neonatal capsaicin treatment abolishes the modulations by opioids of substance P release from rat spinal cord slices.

The possible modulation by opioids of substance P (SP) release at the spinal level was studied using slices of the dorsal half of the rat lumbar enlargement superfused with an artificial cerebrospinal fluid. Capsaicin (0.5 microM) selectively evoked a Ca2+-dependent overflow of SP-like material (SPLI) from primary afferent fibers which was enhanced in the presence of mu-opioid agonists (DAGO, FK 33824, sufentanyl, morphine), reduced by the delta-opioid agonist DTLET, and unaltered by the kappa-opioid agonist U 50488 H. Selective antagonists (naloxone, ICI 154129) prevented the effects of mu- and delta-opioid agonists. Neonatal capsaicin (50 mg/kg) abolished the stimulatory effect of in vitro capsaicin (0.5 microM) but not that of 30 mM K+ on SPLI outflow. This K+-induced SPLI release was unaffected by opioids. Presynaptic inhibitory control of SPLI release from capsaicin-sensitive primary afferent fibers might account for the analgesic effect of delta- but not mu- and kappa-opioid agonists at the spinal level.