Chronopharmacological study of physical dependence on morphine in rats.

Relationship between withdrawal time or naloxone injection time and withdrawal signs were examined in morphine-treated rats. Sixty-five rats were treated chronically with morphine-admixed food (1 mg/g food) for 7 days and were divided into 13 groups. The rats of 4 groups were abruptly withdrawn from morphine, and the rats of another 4 groups were given naloxone (3 mg/kg, s.c.) at 20:00 on the 8 th day and 2:00, 8:00 and 14:00 on the 9 th day after the morphine administration, respectively. Withdrawal signs were observed at intervals of 2 hr. After each naloxone injection, abnormal behaviors were observed for 60 min, and body weight was measured for 3 hr at intervals of 15 or 30 min. In the withdrawal test, weight loss at 24 hr after withdrawal in each group was approximately 10%, and there was no difference between each group. However, the body weight of non-treated rats and morphine-treated rats increased during the night period (20:00-8:00) and decreased during the daytime (8:00-20:00). Therefore, body weight reached the minimum at 20:00, and then this time is appropriated for withdrawal. In the naloxone test, withdrawal signs in the night period were more potent than that in the daytime. The withdrawal signs induced by naloxone at 8:00 showed the maximum magnitude. Plasma morphine levels in rats treated with morphine-admixed food were high in the night period and low in the daytime. These results suggest that the magnitude of naloxone-precipitated withdrawal signs depends on the amount of morphine in the plasma.