Role of prolactin in the modulation of NK and lak cell activity after short- or long-term morphine administration in neoplastic patients

HIV Infection, Drug Use, and Onset of Natural Menopause

“…Use of cocaine and opioids has been related to decreased central neural drive to the reproductive system, which is attributed to drug-induced hyperprolactinemia. This mechanism limits the usefulness of measuring follicle-stimulating hormone levels in classifying the menopausal status of drugusing women [38][39][40]. Our strong finding of the association between drug use and onset of menopause requires additional confirmation, ideally with a correlation of markers of ovarian function, such as the mullerian-inhibiting factor, which is independent of the hypothalamic-pituitary axis [41].…”

Opioids As Modulators of Cell Death and Survival—Unraveling Mechanisms and Revealing New Indications

“…Plasma levels of cortisol (Kim et al, 1999) and prolactin (Provinciali et al, 1996) are actually elevated during chronic treatment with morphine. Because glucocorticoid receptor antagonists inhibit the depletion of splenocytes or thymocytes in morphine-treated mice, this idea of a hormone-mediated effect is further supported (Fuchs and Pruett, 1993).…”

“…Because glucocorticoid receptor antagonists inhibit the depletion of splenocytes or thymocytes in morphine-treated mice, this idea of a hormone-mediated effect is further supported (Fuchs and Pruett, 1993). In addition, bromocriptine, which inhibits prolactin release, restores natural killer (NK) cell cytotoxity in morphine-treated cancer patients (Provinciali et al, 1996).…”

Do Amide Local Anesthetics Play a Therapeutic Role in the Perioperative Management of Cancer Patients?

“…23,24 This effect could be demonstrated in cancer patients even after a single dose of morphine (10 mg intravenously) as early as 30 minutes after the administration of the drug. 25 Local anesthetics might only have a detrimental effect on NK cell activity at very high (and certainly cytotoxic) concentrations in vitro. 26 In contrast, a very recent study showed that lidocaine at clinically relevant concentrations of 0.01 and 0.1 mM was able to enhance NK cytolytic activity in vitro through the release of lytic granules.…”