Pain sensitivity in dietary-induced obese rats.
AI Summary
Key Findings
Abstract
Previous literature indicates possible interrelationships between the endogenous opioids or endorphins, pain response, and obesity or eating behaviour. The pain response was, therefore, examined in a rat model of obesity induced by palatable food high in unsaturated fats. Pellet-fed control and energy-dense obese and nonobese rats were tested for latency of response to a thermal stimulus using the tail flick test. Obese rats exhibited a statistically significant increase in tail flick latency compared to controls. In addition, the observed latencies were significantly correlated to the body weight of the rats (r = 0.52, p < 0.01). These data suggest that dietary-induced obese rats are similar to obese humans in being less sensitive to painful stimuli, consistent with an increase in endogenous opioids in obesity.
Affiliation
Department of Pharmacy, University of Sydney, Australia.
External References
- PubMed ID:
- 8415933
Comments
Sign in or create a free account to join the conversation.
Sign in to commentBe the first to comment.