Gender determinants of opioid mediation of swim analgesia in rats

Continuous cold-water swims (CCWS) and intermittent cold-water swims (ICWS) elicit respective nonopioid and opioid analgesic responses in adult male rats. The present experiment evaluated whether gender differences were observed in naloxone's (14 mg/kg, SC) ability to alter differentially CCWS and ICWS analgesia on the tail-flick and jump tests in age-matched and weight-matched intact rats and in gonadectomized rats. CCWS analgesia was unaffected by naloxone on either test in age-matched males and females. Naloxone significantly reduced ICWS analgesia on the tail-flick (45%) and jump (37%) tests in intact males, but not age-matched females. Naloxone significantly reversed ICWS analgesia in weight-matched males on the tail-flick (1-14 mg/kg, 30-32%) and jump (14 mg/kg, 31%) tests. Naloxone also significantly reduced ICWS analgesia on the tail-flick (32%) and jump (41%) tests in castrated males, but not ovariectomized females. Changes in swim hypothermia could not account for the above effects. These data indicate gender differences in naloxone's differential modulation of swim analgesia, and reflect further differences in pain-inhibitory responses as a function of gender.