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Opioid-induced immunosuppression: is it centrally mediated or peripherally mediated?
Gang Wei1, Jonathan Moss, Chun Su Yuan
1Department of Anesthesia & Critical Care, The University of Chicago, 5841 S. Maryland Avenue, MC 4028, Chicago, IL 60637, USA.
Biochemical Pharmacology
|June 5, 2003
Summary
Opioid medications can weaken the immune system, increasing infection risk. Peripheral opioid antagonists may reduce this immunosuppression without impacting pain relief.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Pharmacology
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Opioid compounds are widely used for pain management.
- Opioid administration is linked to significant side effects, notably immunosuppression.
- Opioid-induced immunosuppression exacerbates infections, including AIDS, and affects immune cells like phagocytes, NK, B, and T cells.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the central and peripheral mechanisms underlying opioid-induced immunosuppression.
- To explore the potential therapeutic role of peripheral opioid antagonists.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing research data on opioid effects on the immune system.
- Analysis of potential central and peripheral pathways of opioid-induced immunosuppression.
Main Results:
- Opioids suppress the function of phagocytic, natural killer (NK), B, and T cells.
- The mechanisms of immunosuppression may differ from those responsible for pain relief (antinociception).
Conclusions:
- Opioid-induced immunosuppression is a significant clinical issue.
- Peripheral mechanisms may play a key role in opioid-induced immunosuppression.
- Peripheral opioid antagonists could offer a way to mitigate immunosuppression without compromising analgesia.