The effects of centrally acting muscle relaxants on the intrathecal noradrenaline-induced facilitation of the flexor reflex mediated by group II afferent fibers in rats

Abstract

The effects of centrally acting muscle relaxants on the flexor reflex mediated by group II afferent fibers (group II flexor reflex) in anesthetized intact rats and on the intrathecal noradrenaline-HCl-induced facilitation of the group II flexor reflex in anesthetized spinal rats were investigated. In anesthetized intact rats, mephenesin, tolperisone-HCl, chlorpromazine-HCl and baclofen inhibited the group II flexor reflex dose-dependently, whereas the inhibitory effect of tizanidine-HCl was bell-shaped. The effect of diazepam tended to be saturated. In anesthetized spinal rats, mephenesin, tolperisone-HCl, chlorpromazine-HCl, diazepam and baclofen also depressed the group II flexor reflex, but tizanidine-HCl slightly increased it. The intrathecal noradrenaline-HCl-induced facilitation of the group II flexor reflex was not affected by mephenesin or diazepam, but was inhibited by tizanidine-HCl, tolperisone-HCl, chlorpromazine-HCl and baclofen. These results suggest that compounds with centrally acting muscle relaxant activity depress the group II flexor reflex in different manners, and the inhibition of descending noradrenergic tonic facilitation within the spinal cord participates in the depressant action of the group II flexor reflex produced by tolperisone-HCl, tizanidine-HCl, chlorpromazine-HCl and baclofen.