Nociceptin induced inhibition of K+ evoked glutamate release from rat cerebrocortical slices

Nociceptin, an endogenous ligand for the orphan receptor ORL1, has recently been described. In this study we have shown that nociception inhibits 46 mM K(+)-stimulated glutamate release from rat perfused cerebrocortical slices with an IC50 of 51 nM. At 100 nM the inhibition amounted to 68 +/- 14% and was naloxone (10 microM)-insensitive excluding an activation of mu, delta and kappa opioid receptors. These data demonstrate the functional coupling of ORL1 in glutamatergic neurones and implicates a role for nociceptin in glutamatergic neurotransmission.