Injection of high-dose of morphine into the spinal lumbar intrathecal (i.t.) space of rats elicits a nociceptive behavioural syndrome characterized by periodic bouts of spontaneous agitation and severe vocalization. The induced behavioural response such as vocalization and agitation was observed dose-dependently by i.t. administration of morphine (125-500 nmol). Pretreatment with naloxone (s.c. and i.t.), an opioid receptor antagonist, failed to reverse the morphine-induced behavioural response. The excitatory effect of morphine was inhibited dose-dependently by pretreatment with 3-((+)2-carboxy-piperazin-4-yl)-propyl-1-phosphonic acid (CPP), a competitive N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist and MK-801, a non-competitive NMDA receptor antagonist. The non-selective nitric oxide (NO) synthase inhibitor N(G)-nitro L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) inhibited dose-dependently the behavioural response to high-dose i.t. morphine (500 nmol), whereas D-NAME was without affecting the response to high-dose i.t. morphine. In the present study, we measured NO metabolites (nitrite/nitrate) in the extracellular fluid of rat dorsal spinal cord using in vivo microdialysis. The i.t. injection of morphine (500 nmol) evoked significant increases in NO metabolites and glutamate from the spinal cord. Not only NO metabolites but also glutamate released by high-dose morphine were reduced significantly by pretreatment with L-NAME (400 nmol). Pretreatment with CPP and MK-801 showed a significant reduction of the NO metabolites and glutamate levels elevated by high-dose i.t. morphine. These results suggest that the excitatory action of high-dose i.t. morphine may be mediated by an NMDA-NO cascade in the spinal cord.