Involvement of brain opiate receptors in the immune-suppressive effect of morphine.
Proceedings of the National Academy of SciencesPublished 1 September 1986
Yehuda Shavit, Antoine Depaulis, Fredricka C. Martin, G.W. Terman, Robert N. Pechnick, Cynthia J. Zane
Citations222
SJR quartileQ1
SJR score3.41
SNIP2.38
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TL;DR
Supporting this hypothesis, morphine (20 or 40 micrograms) injected into the lateral ventricle suppressed natural killer cell activity to the same degree as a systemic dose higher by three orders of magnitude, and this effect was blocked by an opiate antagonist, naltrexone.
Abstract
We previously reported that a single systemic injection of a high dose of morphine (greater than or equal to 20 mg/kg) transiently suppresses splenic natural killer cell cytotoxicity in rats. The present study examined the possibility that the immune-suppressive effect of morphine is mediated by opiate receptors in the brain. Supporting this hypothesis, we found that morphine (20 or 40 micrograms) injected into the lateral ventricle suppressed natural killer cell activity to the same degree as a systemic dose higher by three orders of magnitude. This effect was blocked by an opiate antagonist, naltrexone. Natural killer cell activity was unaffected by systemic administration of N-methyl morphine, a morphine analogue that does not cross the blood-brain barrier. These data implicate opiate receptors in the brain in morphine-induced suppression of natural killer cell cytotoxicity.
Keywords
Neuroscience
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