We have previously shown that delta (δ)-opioid receptors, most notably δ1, are involved in the cardioprotective effect of ischemic preconditioning (PC) in rats; however, the mechanism by which δ-opioid receptor-induced cardioprotection is mediated remains unknown. Therefore, we hypothesized that several of the known mediators of ischemic PC such as the ATP-sensitive potassium (KATP) channel and Gi/oproteins are involved in the cardioprotective effect produced by δ1-opioid receptor activation. To address these possibilities, anesthetized, open-chest Wistar rats were randomly assigned to five groups. Control animals were subjected to 30 min of coronary artery occlusion and 2 h of reperfusion. To demonstrate that stimulating δ1-opioid receptors produces cardioprotection, TAN-67, a new selective δ1-agonist, was infused for 15 min before the long occlusion and reperfusion periods. In addition, one group received 7-benzylidenenaltrexone (BNTX), a selective δ1-antagonist, before TAN-67. To study the involvement of KATPchannels or Gi/oproteins in δ1-opioid receptor-induced cardioprotection, glibenclamide (Glib), a KATPchannel antagonist, or pertussis toxin (PTX), an inhibitor of Gi/oproteins, was administered before TAN-67. Infarct size (IS) as a percentage of the area at risk (IS/AAR) was determined by tetrazolium stain. TAN-67 significantly reduced IS/AAR as compared with control (56 ± 2 to 27 ± 5%, n = 5, P < 0.05). The cardioprotective effect of TAN-67 was completely abolished by BNTX, Glib, and PTX (51 ± 3, 53 ± 5, and 61 ± 4%, n = 6 for each group, respectively). These results are the first to suggest that stimulating the δ1-opioid receptor elicits a cardioprotective effect that is mediated via Gi/oproteins and KATPchannels in the intact rat heart.
Absence of μ opioid receptor mRNA expression in astrocytes and microglia of rat spinal cord