Stress-induced analgesia in frogs: evidence for the involvement of an opioid system.

Immobilization of frogs for 1 h induces analgesia which is blocked but not reversed by low doses of naloxone. After 9 days of daily immobilization for 1 h, the treatment fails to cause analgesia thus indicating that tolerance has developed. Animals tolerant to immobilization-induced analgesia do not show cross-tolerance to the analgesic action of morphine. The development of tolerance to this form of stress-induced analgesia and the ability of naloxone to prevent its occurrence indicate the involvement of opioid pathways. The lack of cross tolerance to morphine suggests that mu receptors are not involved.