Endogenous opiates: 1994

Combined effect of fluconazole and thymosin α1 on systemic candidiasis in mice immunosuppressed by morphine treatments

“…NK cells primarily control tumour growth and viral infections, but are also increasingly thought to act against other infectious agents, including fungi [27]. Data in Table 5 confirmed that morphine inhibits NK cell activity [6]. Fluconazole or TQI alone restored the cytotoxic response, while combined treatment potentiated cytotoxicity.…”

“…Morph + Flu versus Morph + Tfil * Flu: P < 0 007. demonstrate any apparent debilitating or toxic effect that might predispose animals to death. Tubaro et al [9] showed that in CDl mice the LD50 of chronic morphine treatment (after 5 days of administration) was 1150 mg/kg [6]. Particular care was taken to select a number of infecting microorganisms that was neither so high as to induce an additional toxic state, nor so low as to be insufficient to produce a stable infection state [9.10].…”

“…In particular, morphine depresses B and T lymphocyte functions, and decreases cytotoxic natural killer (NK) cell activity (reviewed in [6]). The macrophage-monocyte oxidative burst and killing properties of polymorphonuclear leucocytes (PMN) are also impaired by chronic morphine treatment [9,10].…”

Electroporation-mediated pain-killer gene therapy for mononeuropathic rats

“…These data indicate that intrathecal opioid administration provides a potential solution for chronic pain syndromes, especially the endogenous opioid, because of reduced tolerance and dependence during pain management. 11 It seems reasonable to suggest that the provision of long-term pain control by modulation of pain through in vivo gene transfer may also prove efficacious. Gene trans- fer using viral vectors (retroviral and adenoviral) is achieved through the infectivity of the viral particles.…”

Role of Opioidergic System in Humoral Immune Response

“…The extra-cellular N-terminal domain, three extra-cellular loops and the intra-cellular carboxy-terminal domains are less conserved among the three receptor types. Chromosomal locations for the human opioid receptors and opioid peptide genes have been established and are summarised in Endogenous opioid peptides and their receptors form a neuromodulatory system that impacts several physiological processes, such as cognition, pain control, emotions, response to stress, and pathophysiology of both addiction to and immunosuppressive effects of opiates (Olson et al, 1996). Despite a number of side effects, such as respiratory depression, constipation, tolerance and dependence, morphine remains one of the most valuable therapeutic drugs (Schug SA et al, 1992).…”