Behavioural effects of receptor-specific substance P agonists

Dalia Papir-Kricheli, Joseph Frey, Ralph Laufer, Chaim Gilon, Michael Chorev, Zvi Selinger, Marshall Devor

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

110 Scopus citations

Abstract

Septide and senktide are synthetic substance P (SP) agonists with extremely high selectivity for 1 of the 3 known SP receptor subtypes. When injected intrathecally, they produced dramatically different behavioural effects. Septide, the selective SP-P receptor agonist, evoked intense, compulsive scratching, biting and licking of the hind limb, with no sign of motor flaccidity, and without measurable effect on responses to noxious thermal or mechanical stimulation of the foot or tail. In contrast, senktide, the selective SP-N receptor agonist, produced profound, but transient, motor flaccidity, reduced response to noxious stimuli and, at low doses, 'wet-dog shakes.' These various symptoms, all previously associated with SP and/or synthetic SP analogues, appear therefore to derive from activation of distinct SP receptor subtypes.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)263-276
Number of pages14
JournalPain
Volume31
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Nov 1987
Externally publishedYes

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
This work was supported by grants from the Charles E. Smith Family Foundation for Psychobiology, the Israel Ministry of Health, and the United States-Israel Binational Science Foundation.

Keywords

  • Pain
  • Paralysis
  • Senktide
  • Septide
  • Substance P
  • Substance P receptor
  • Tachykinin
  • Tachykinin receptor

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