Abstract
Both morphine and IL-1 have been shown to affect the nervous, endocrine, and immune systems. For the past two decades, the immunomodulatory effects of morphine, a drug well known for its analgesic and addictive effects, have been the focus of investigation.1 In addition to acting directly through opioid receptors on immune cells to alter the body’s defense mechanisms, morphine is also thought to indirectly mediate immune responses via the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, and possibly other neuro- endocrine pathways.2 Interleukin-1 (IL-1), a pro-inflammatory cytokine released by immune cells in response to stress or disease, acts directly on immune cells to initiate and potentiate immune responses. IL-1 can also affect the body’s defense system by stimulating the HPA axis to produce ACTH and glucocorticoids, 3 both of which are anti-inflammatory substances4 which serve as feedback controls on IL-l’s stimulatory actions. We have hypothesized that there is an interaction between morphine and IL-1 through which their effects converge and impact the immune response at both central and peripheral levels. To test this hypothesis, we have examined two aspects of this interaction: (1) the effects of opiates on IL-1-dependent pathways, and (2) the effects of IL-1 on the expression of opioid receptors.
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Chang, S.L., Wu, Gd., Patel, N.A., Vidal, E.L., Fiala, M. (1998). The Effects of Interaction Between Morphine and Interleukin-1 on the Immune Response. 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_8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-5347-2_8
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