Discriminative stimulus effects of a centrally administered, delta-opioid peptide (d-Pen2-d-Pen5-enkephalin) in pigeons

Abstract

The present study assessed the discriminative stimulus effects of the delta-opioid agonist [ d -Pen 2 - d -Pen 5 ]enkephalin (DPDPE) in pigeons. Food-restricted pigeons were trained to discriminate between ICV injections of 100 μg [ d -Pen 2 - d -Pen 5 ]enkephalin (DPDPE) and saline in a two-key operant procedure; acquisition of discriminative control was rapid (14–28 daily sessions). [ d -Ser 2 , Leu 5 , Thr 6 ]enkephalin (DSLET) and [ d -Ala 2 ]deltorphin II, peptides selective for delta-opioid receptors, produced discriminative stimulus effects similar to DPDPE, and were approximately equipotent to DPDPE. The non-peptidic, delta-opioid agonist BW373U86 (0.032–100 mg/kg, IM) partially generalized to DPDPE. The kappa-opioid agonist U69,593 (0.01–1 mg/kg, IM), and the mu-opioid agonists, DAMGO (0.1–3.2 μg, ICV) and morphine (1–10 mg/kg, IM), did not produce discriminative stimulus effects similar to DPDPE, up to doses that markedly decreased response rates. Naltrindole (0.1 mg/kg, IM), an antagonist selective for delta-opioid receptors, produced approximately a 30-fold reduction in the potency of DPDPE. DPDPE’s discriminative stimulus effect in pigeons appears to be mediated through a delta-opioid receptor; this effect may provide a procedure for assessing delta-opioid receptor function in vivo.