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Related Experiment Videos

Immunosuppression by morphine is mediated by central pathways

M C Hernandez1, L R Flores, B M Bayer

  • 1Department of Pharmacology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, District of Columbia.

The Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics
|December 1, 1993
PubMed
Summary
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Systemic morphine suppresses lymphocyte proliferation via central opioid pathways, distinct from those causing analgesia or adrenal activation. This effect is mediated by central, not peripheral, opioid receptors.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroimmunology
  • Pharmacology

Background:

  • Systemic morphine administration suppresses mitogen-induced lymphocyte proliferation through a receptor-mediated mechanism.
  • The precise location of opioid receptors mediating this immunosuppression remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate whether the immunosuppressive effects of morphine are mediated by peripheral or central opioid receptors.
  • To differentiate the central pathways involved in morphine-induced immunosuppression from those mediating analgesia and adrenal activation.

Main Methods:

  • Comparison of systemic effects of morphine and N-methylmorphine (a blood-brain barrier-impermeable analog) on lymphocyte proliferation, corticosterone levels, and analgesia.
  • Central administration (third ventricle, anterior hypothalamus) of morphine and N-methylmorphine via microinjection.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Assessment of blood lymphocyte proliferation, plasma corticosterone concentrations, and analgesic responses.

    • Main Results:

    • Systemic N-methylmorphine did not affect lymphocyte proliferation, corticosterone, or analgesia, unlike systemic morphine.
    • Central administration of both morphine and N-methylmorphine into the third ventricle inhibited lymphocyte proliferation, increased corticosterone, and produced analgesia.
    • Microinjection of morphine into the anterior hypothalamus suppressed lymphocyte proliferation without causing analgesia or significant corticosterone elevation.

    Conclusions:

    • Central opioid pathways mediate the immunosuppressive effects of morphine.
    • These central pathways appear distinct from those involved in morphine-induced analgesia and adrenal activation.
    • Opioid receptor location is critical for mediating specific physiological responses to morphine.