Wiesenfeld-Hallin Z, Södersten P
Nature. 1984;309(5965):257-8. doi: 10.1038/309257a0.
Enkephalin-containing cells in the substantia gelatinosa of the spinal cord participate in the neural processing of painful stimuli. Spinal opiates may also be involved in the perception of sensory stimuli related to reproduction, as probing of the uterine cervix stimulates sexual behaviour in rats and also induces an analgesia which is partially dependent on opiate receptor mechanisms in the spinal cord. We now report that the intrathecal injection of morphine into female ovariectomized rats pretreated with oestradiol benzoate and progesterone inhibits sexual receptivity while injection of the opiate receptor antagonist naloxone enhances it. Similarly, intrathecal injection of morphine increases while injection of naloxone decreases the number of intromissions before ejaculation in male rat. Intraperitoneal injection of morphine or naloxone has no behavioural effect. Recent studies have suggested that brain opiates are involved in the control of sexual behaviour. The results reported here indicate that sexual behaviour may also be influenced by spinal opiates.
脊髓胶状质中含脑啡肽的细胞参与疼痛刺激的神经处理过程。脊髓阿片类药物可能也参与与生殖相关的感觉刺激的感知，因为对子宫颈的探查会刺激大鼠的性行为，并且还会诱导一种部分依赖于脊髓中阿片受体机制的镇痛作用。我们现在报告，向用苯甲酸雌二醇和孕酮预处理的雌性去卵巢大鼠鞘内注射吗啡会抑制性接受能力，而注射阿片受体拮抗剂纳洛酮则会增强性接受能力。同样，鞘内注射吗啡会增加雄性大鼠射精前的插入次数，而注射纳洛酮则会减少插入次数。腹腔注射吗啡或纳洛酮没有行为影响。最近的研究表明，脑内阿片类药物参与性行为的控制。此处报告的结果表明，性行为也可能受脊髓阿片类药物的影响。
