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Centrally-Mediated Opioid-Induced Immunosuppression

Elucidation of Sympathetic Nervous System Involvement

  • Chapter
Drugs of Abuse, Immunomodulation, and Aids

Part of the book series: Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology ((AEMB,volume 437))

Abstract

The correlation between increased susceptibility to infections and opiate use has been known for many years.1–3 It has been demonstrated that deficits in immune function induced by opiate usage were responsible for these clinical observations, and in vivo studies have consistently shown that opioids such as morphine are immunosuppressive.4 The specific im- munosuppressive effects of the opioids include: suppression of antibody production, 5.6 cellular immune responses, 7.8 graft versus host disease and delayed-type hypersensitivity, 9 natural killer (NK) cell activity, 10–19 B10 and T-cell proliferation, 10.20–23 T-cell mediated cyto- toxicity, 24 production of interferon-γ, 11, 12 phagocytosis of Candida albicans.25–27 In addition, suppression of NK cell activity is associated with increased mortality from Friend virus28 and Toxoplasma gondii29 infections. These diverse effects promote decreased survival in tumor-bearing animals, 30 an increased susceptibility to bacterial and fungal infections, 27 and an increased susceptibility to retro viral infections.31

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Section of Medical Sciences Department of Biomedical and Therapeutic Sciences, University of Illinois, College of Medicine, One Illini Drive, P.O. Box 1649, Peoria, Illinois, 61656, USA

    William J. Brinkman, David M. Hall, Jin-Liang Suo & Richard J. Weber

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  1. William J. Brinkman
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  2. David M. Hall
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  3. Jin-Liang Suo
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  4. Richard J. Weber
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of South Florida College of Medicine, Tampa, Florida, USA

    Herman Friedman  & Thomas W. Klein  & 

  2. Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

    John J. Madden

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Brinkman, W.J., Hall, D.M., Suo, JL., Weber, R.J. (1998). Centrally-Mediated Opioid-Induced Immunosuppression. In: Friedman, H., Madden, J.J., Klein, T.W. (eds) Drugs of Abuse, Immunomodulation, and Aids. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, vol 437. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-5347-2_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-5347-2_5

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4613-7439-8

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