Effect of Acute Morphine Exposure on Insulin and Blood Sugar Levels in Normal Rats

OBJECTIVE: Social belief and experimental evidences indicate that opium and its alkaloids, morphine, produced hypoglycemic effects in animal models. This study was conducted in order to determine the role of morphine on blood glucose and insulin. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This is an empirical analysis investigating the laboratory albino male rats weighing 200-250 g. Rats in the control group received saline and animals in the treatment group were injected 5mg/kg morphine intraperitoneally (I.P.). Blood glucose and insulin rate were measured at the time of 0, 2, 4 and 6 hours after morphine injection. RESULTS: The results of this study showed that morphine could not change serum insulin and blood glucose in comparison to control group. CONCLUSION: It is concluded that the effects of morphine on blood glucose and insulin are dependent upon the route of administration, and that I.P. injection of morphine in rat had no effect on blood levels of glucose and insulin.