CLINICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL PHARMACOLOGY AND PHYSIOLOGY, vol.30, no.9, pp.640-642, 2003 (SCI-Expanded)
1. Severe blood loss initially lowers arterial pressure through a central mechanism that is thought to involve opioid and cholinergic neurons. The present study tested the hypothesis that simultaneous administration of a cholinergic agonist and an opioid receptor antagonist would produce a synergistic effect in the treatment of haemorrhage. Specifically, we tested whether choline, a precursor of acetylcholine, potentiates the pressor effect of the beta-endorphin derived peptide glycylglutamine (Gly-Gln) or the opioid receptor antagonist naloxone following acute haemorrhage.