Morphine pretreatment induces ischemic tolerance in neurons, but it remains uncertain whether novel protein kinase C epsilon isoform (nPKC epsilon) and N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors are involved in this neuroprotection. The present study examined this issue. Hippocampal slices from adult BALB/C mice were incubated with morphine at 0.1-10.0 mu M in the presence or absence of various antagonists for 30 minutes and then kept in morphine- and antagonist-free buffer for 30 minutes before being subjected to oxygen-glucose deprivation for 20 minutes. After recovery in oxygenated artificial fluid for 5 hours, assessment of slice injury was done by determination of the intensity of slice stain after they were incubated with 2% 2.3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride for 30 minutes and extracted by organic solvent for 24 hours. At designated periods, slices were preserved for immunoblot analysis to observe effects of morphine pretreatment on membrane translocation and total protein expression of nPKC epsilon and phosphorylation of NR1 subunits of NMDA receptors. The neuroprotection induced by morphine pretreatment was partially blocked by chelerythrine (a nonselective PKC blocker), epsilon v(1-2) (a selective nPKC epsilon antagonist), MK-801 (a noncompetitive NMDA receptor blocker), chelerythrine combined with MK-801, and epsilon v(1-2) with MK-801. Morphine pretreatment significantly inhibited nPKC epsilon membrane translocation and phosphorylation of NR1 subunits of NMDA receptors during reperfusion injury. However, epsilon v(1-2) blocked these effects induced by morphine pretreatment. These findings suggested that nPKC epsilon and NMDA receptors might participate in neuroprotection induced by morphine pretreatment, and NMDA receptors might be downstream targets of nPKC epsilon.