The interaction between inactive doses of the opioid sufentanil and the local anesthetic bupivacaine after complexation in various concentrations of hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin (HP-B-CD) were studied after epidural and intrathecal administration in the rat. Whereas 0.125 microgram sufentanil and 80 micrograms bupivacaine produced only limited effects, a combination of the two compounds resulted in a profound surgical analgesia in all rats tested after epidural administration. Also intrathecally, a clear potentiation was present. The complexation of the same doses of sufentanil plus bupivacaine in HP-B-CD increased the duration of analgesia. Epidurally, a maximal potentiation of analgesia was present at 0.125 microgram sufentanil plus 80 micrograms bupivacaine in 20% HP-B-CD. Intrathecally, maximal potentiation of the analgesic activity was present starting from a complexation of both drugs in 10% hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin. Higher concentrations of hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin did not significantly further increase the duration of analgesia. These results indicate that for both routes of spinal administration, the complexation of sufentanil plus bupivacaine in HP-B-CD can produce a longer analgesia than either plain sufentanil, sufentanil combined with bupivacaine or sufentanil alone in HP-B-CD. The complexation of sufentanil plus bupivacaine in HP-B-CD did not diminish the increased safety observed to occur after complexation of sufentanil in HP-B-CD and after combination of sufentanil plus bupivacaine.