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Expression of Opioid Receptors in Cells of the Immune System

Jana Brejchova1, Vladimir Holan2,3, Petr Svoboda1

  • 1Laboratory of Biomathematics, Institute of Physiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, 14220 Prague, Czech Republic.

International Journal of Molecular Sciences
|January 5, 2021
PubMed

Insights

Opioid receptors (OR) in immune cells are controversial. Recent studies suggest OR levels in lymphocytes may indicate methadone therapy success or serve as chronic pain biomarkers, but require clinical verification.

Area of Science:

  • Immunology
  • Pharmacology
  • Neuroscience

Background:

  • Opioid drugs exhibit immunomodulatory effects, prompting investigation into opioid receptors (OR) within immune cells.
  • Research on OR expression in immune cells yields conflicting results, with some studies confirming and others refuting mRNA and protein expression.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore the presence and significance of opioid receptors in immune cells.
  • To review the current controversial state of research regarding OR expression in the immune system.
  • To assess the potential clinical applications of OR expression levels in lymphocytes.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing literature on opioid receptor expression in animal and human immune cells.
  • Analysis of studies reporting both positive and negative findings for OR mRNA and protein.
  • Examination of recent findings linking OR levels in lymphocytes to clinical outcomes.

Main Results:

  • Conflicting evidence exists regarding the expression of opioid receptors (OR) at both mRNA and protein levels in immune cells.
  • Recent research indicates that OR expression in human peripheral blood lymphocytes may correlate with methadone maintenance therapy outcomes.
  • Elevated OR levels in lymphocytes are proposed as a potential biomarker for chronic pain diagnosis.

Conclusions:

  • The presence and role of opioid receptors (OR) in immune cells remain a subject of ongoing debate and research.
  • The potential of OR expression in lymphocytes as a clinical indicator for treatment success and pain diagnosis requires further validation.
  • Additional clinical investigations are necessary to confirm the practical applicability of these findings.
Keywords:
addictionchronic painimmune cellsopioid drugsopioid receptorsstem cells

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