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Morphine stimulates nitric oxide release in human mitochondria

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Abstract

The expression of morphine by plants, invertebrate, and vertebrate cells and organ systems, strongly indicates a high level of evolutionary conservation of morphine and related morphinan alkaloids as required for life. The prototype catecholamine, dopamine, serves as an essential chemical intermediate in morphine biosynthesis, both in plants and animals. We surmise that, before the emergence of specialized plant and animal cells/organ systems, primordial multi-potential cell types required selective mechanisms to limit their responsiveness to environmental cues. Accordingly, cellular systems that emerged with the potential for recruitment of the free radical gas nitric oxide (NO) as a multi-faceted autocrine/paracrine signaling molecule, were provided with extremely positive evolutionary advantages. Endogenous morphinergic signaling, in concert with NO-coupled signaling systems, has evolved as an autocrine/paracrine regulator of metabolic homeostasis, energy metabolism, mitochondrial respiration and energy production. Basic physiological processes involving morphinergic/NO-coupled regulation of mitochondrial function, with special emphasis on the cardiovascular system, are critical to all organismic survival. Key to this concept may be the phenomenon of mitochondrial enslavement in eukaryotic evolution via endogenous morphine.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. MitoGenetics Research Institute, MitoGenetics LLC, 3 Bioscience Park Drive, Suite 307, Farmingdale, NY, 11735, USA

    George B. Stefano, Kirk J. Mantione, Lismary Capellan, Federico M. Casares, Sean Challenger, Rohina Ramin, Joshua M. Samuel, Christopher Snyder & Richard M. Kream

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  1. George B. Stefano
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  2. Kirk J. Mantione
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  3. Lismary Capellan
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  4. Federico M. Casares
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  9. Richard M. Kream
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Correspondence to George B. Stefano.

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Stefano, G.B., Mantione, K.J., Capellan, L. et al. Morphine stimulates nitric oxide release in human mitochondria. J Bioenerg Biomembr 47, 409–417 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10863-015-9626-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10863-015-9626-8

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