TY - GEN
ID - cogprints5764
UR - http://cogprints.org/5764/
A1 - Kristal, Dr. Mark B.
A1 - Thompson, A. C.
A1 - Grishkat, H.L.
Y1 - 1985///
N2 - Analgesia, produced by either a morphine injection or footshock, was monitored (using a tail-flick test) in nonpregnant female rats. Analgesia was induced within minutes of having the rats eat on of several substances. When the substance eaten was rat placenta, both the morphine- and shock-induced types of analgesia were significantly grater than in controls that ingested other substances (or nothing). When footshock (hind-paw) was administered in conjunction with the opiate antagonist naltrexone, the analgesia produced was attenuated but detectable; in this case, placenta ingestion did not enhance the analgesia, suggesting that the effect of placenta is specific to opiate-mediated analgesia. It is possible that this enhancement of analgesia is one of the principal benefits to mammalian mothers of ingesting placenta and birth fluids (placentophagia) at delivery.
PB - Pergamon Press
KW - opiates
KW - opioids
KW - placentophagia
KW - placenta
KW - amniotic fluid
KW - delivery
KW - rat
KW - POEF
KW - naltrexone
KW - analgesia
KW - pain
KW - tail-flick test
KW - footshock
KW - afterbirth
KW - mammal
TI - Placenta ingestion enhances opiate analgesia in rats.
SP - 481
AV - public
EP - 486
ER -