AU - Sahrai, Hedayat AU - Shariati, Mohammad Reza AU - Aghai-Firoozabadi, Hasan AU - Khoshbaten, Ali AU - Asgari, Alireza AU - Ghoshooni,, Hasan TI - The role of nitric oxide in conditioned place preference induced by morphine in male mice PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE TA - Physiol-Pharmacol JN - Physiol-Pharmacol VO - 2 VI - 2 IP - 2 4099 - http://ppj.phypha.ir/article-1-335-en.html 4100 - http://ppj.phypha.ir/article-1-335-en. SO - Physiol-Pharmacol 2 AB  -   The involvement of nitric oxide (NO) in the reinforcing properties of opioids was studied by examining the effect of a NO precursor (L-arginine) and NO synthase inhibitor (L-nitro-amino-methyl-ester, L-NAME) on the conditioned place preference (CPP) induced by morphine. The experiment was performed on male albino Swiss- White mice (25 ± 5 g). L-arginine in doses of 100, 200 and 500 mg/kg (i.p.) decreased CPP significantly, while L-arginine induced CPP in doses of 200 and 500 mg/kg per se. L-NAME doses of 0.75, 1.25, 2.5, 5, 10, 20 and 300 mg/kg (i.p.)had no effect on CPP induced by morphine, but injection of L-NAME (5 mg/kg) significantly decreased the effect of L-arginine on morphine-induced CPP. Therefore it may be concluded that NO may be involved in the psychological dependence to morphine.   CP - IRAN IN - Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Faculty of Medicine, Baqiyatullah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, I.R. Iran LG - eng PB - Physiol-Pharmacol PG - 137 PT - Experimental research article YR - 1998