Genital grooming and emesis induced by vanilloids in Suncus murinus, the house musk shrew.

The potential of resiniferatoxin and capsaicin to modulate emesis and genital grooming was investigated in Suncus murinus. Resinifertoxin (3-30 nmol, i.c.v.), E-capsaicin (10-100 nmol, i.c.v.) and Z-capsaicin (100 nmol, i.c.v.) induced emesis (P<0.05) and subsequently antagonised the emetic response induced by intragastric copper sulphate (480.6 micromol/kg; P<0.05). However, resiniferatoxin failed to affect nicotine-induced (30.7 mol/kg, s.c.) emesis (P>0.05). Only resiniferatoxin induced genital grooming that was antagonised (P<0.05) by capsazepine (300-600 nmol, i.c.v.) and ruthenium red (3 nmol, i.c.v.). E-capsaicin-induced emesis was antagonised by capsazepine (300-600 nmol, i.c.v.; P<0.05) and ruthenium red (3 nmol, i.c.v.; P<0.05) but resiniferatoxin-induced emesis was resistant to capsazepine (30-600 nmol, i.c.v.; P>0.05). The emetic action of resiniferatoxin but not E-capsaicin was subject to tachyphylaxis. In cross-tachyphylaxis experiments, E-capsaicin reduced the genital grooming induced by resiniferatoxin (P<0.05). The data are discussed in relation to the classification of vanilloid receptors and mechanisms involved in emesis and genital grooming.