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Updated: May 18, 2026

Assessment of Morphine-induced Hyperalgesia and Analgesic Tolerance in Mice Using Thermal and Mechanical Nociceptive Modalities
Published on: July 29, 2014
Opioids and the immune system: clinical relevance
João Batista Santos Garcia1, Mirlane Guimarães de Melo Cardoso, Maria Cristina Dos-Santos
1Department of Anesthesiology, Pain and Palliative Care, Universidade Federal do Maranhão. jbgarcia@uol.com.br
Background And Objectives:
The increasing use of opioids for pain treatment is a reality in several countries and, therefore, unusual questions arise, such as the influence of opioids on immune responses. The present study aims to detail the immune response by exploring the influences of opiate effects on inflammatory response in experimental and clinical situations, as well as its importance in daily practice.
Content:
After reviewing the articles published in journals indexed in Medline, we found that immune response has been generally described, especially regarding its cellular aspect. Following this approach, we identified the mechanisms of endogenous opioid release, modulation of immune response to exogenous opioids in acute and chronic pain, always ending with the clinical implications and applicability in routine care.
Conclusions:
Although several studies point to an immunosuppressive effect of opioids, the clinical relevance of these observations remains uncertain and only serves as a prerequisite for further investigations in this area. Definitive recommendations for the use of opioids in various situations of clinical practice regarding the immunological consequences of these drugs still cannot be provided until the present moment.
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