Background: In this research, the effect of morphine on promastigotes and amastigotes of Leishmania major has been investigated in the presence of nalmefene as a blocking opioid drug and imiquimod as an opioid growth factor receptor. Methods: This study was conducted at Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran in 2015-2018. Morphine with different concentration (0.1, 1, 10 and 100 1µg/ml) alone and with imiquimod (0.01, 0.1 and 1µg/ml) and nalmefene (0.1, 1 and 10 µg/ml) on promastigotes and amastigotes in macrophages and also the percentage of infected macrophages was investigated. For evaluation of the apoptosis, we used flow cytometry method. The effect of imiquimod and nalmefene on glucantime and amphotericin B as current drugs for treatment of leishmaniasis was evaluated too. Results: The effect of morphine on promastigotes and amastigotes has a reverse relationship with its concentration. The results of flow cytometry for drug-treated promastigotes revealed that apoptosis and necrosis did not increase markedly relative to the control group. A combination of morphine and imiquimod in concentrations of 0.05, 5 and 5 µg/ml had a pronounced effect on reduction and prevention of macrophage infection with amastigotes. Morphine at a concentration of 0.1 µg/ml plays the role of adjunctive treatment. In amastigote assay we found the better results in group that get glucantime 25 µg/ml+ imiquimod 0.5 µg/ml. Conclusion: This effect is strengthened with imiquimod and weakened with nalmefene. Using high dose morphine and nalmefene had reverse effects. They suppress immune system and had no controlling effect in macrophages amastigote infection and reduction of promastigotes.

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What is "already known" in this topic: PMPs transfer CXCR4 to null cells (Daudi, K562 and U937 cell lines).

Genotyping of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) is important for designing therapeutic strategies and regional specific diagnostic assays. The aim of this study was to identify the HCV genotypes in HCV infected blood donors. This is the first report on HCV genotypes in blood donors in Iran. In this cross-sectional study, 103 blood donors with hepatitis C were investigated for HCV genotypes. HCV genotyping was carried out using type-specific primers from the core region of the viral genome. From 103 blood donors, only96 cases had genotypes which could be typed. The highest frequency genotype 1a, with 53 (51.5%) of subjects. Genotype 3a and 1b were the other frequent genotypes with 39 (37.9 %) and 4 (3.9%) subjects, respec-tively. These results indicate that the dominant HCV genotypes among blood donors were 1a, 3a and 1b respectively. It was also noticed that more of the blood donors infected with genotypes 1a and 3a had history of intravenous drug abuse and tattooing.

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