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  • Title: Central opioids: a possible role in parturition?
    Author: Leng G, Mansfield S, Bicknell RJ, Dean AD, Ingram CD, Marsh MI, Yates JO, Dyer RG.
    Journal: J Endocrinol; 1985 Aug; 106(2):219-24. PubMed ID: 3160803.
    Abstract:
    Pregnant rats were implanted with subcutaneous minipumps to deliver either naloxone or saline. The time-course of subsequent parturition was different between the two groups: the interval between successive births was significantly shorter for the naloxone-treated rats. This supports the hypothesis that the opioid innervation of the neurohypophysis, which is known to influence oxytocin release profoundly, has a physiological role in parturition. To test the further hypothesis that this role is particularly important in a stressful environment, pregnant rats, again implanted with minipumps, were regularly transferred, at 15-min intervals beginning with the birth of the first pup, between their normal cage and the unfamiliar environment of a glass observation chamber. No difference was noted between the time-courses of parturition for the naloxone- and saline-treated groups, although the time-courses were markedly altered from those observed in rats not subjected to an unfamiliar environment. We conclude that opioid modulation of oxytocin release may play a role in 'spacing' the delivery of successive births during normal parturition.
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