title: Modulation of human neuroblastoma transplanted into nude mice by endogenous opioid systems.
abstract: The role of endogenous opioid systems (endogenous opioids and opioid receptors) in human cancer was explored using an opioid antagonist paradigm and neuroblastoma cells (SK-N-MC) transplanted into nude mice. Mice inoculated with 2.5 X 10(6) neuroblastoma cells received daily injections of either 0.1 or 10 mg/kg naltrexone (=0.1 and 10 NTX groups) which blocked the opioid receptor for 6-8 hr/day or the entire 24 hr/day, respectively, or sterile water. The latency for appearance of a measurable tumor (5 mm diameter) in the 0.1 NTX group was 27% longer than controls (11 days), and the first death in this group occurred 33% later than controls (day 27). Mice inoculated with tumor cells in the 10 NTX group had an acceleration (18%) in the latency of tumor appearance and, 2 weeks after cell inoculation, 70% of the mice in this group had tumors, in contrast to 10% of the controls. At the termination of the experiment (day 45), only 33% of the 10 NTX group were alive, in contrast to 90% of the controls. Receptor binding assays using DAGO, DADLE, or EKC revealed specific saturable binding only for DADLE and EKC. NTX administration resulted in a 148-186% increase in density for both binding sites, but no changes in binding affinity. Measures of opioid levels showed that tumor tissue levels of both beta-endorphin and methionine-enkephalin were elevated 2.5 to 6.5 fold from control values in both NTX groups, whereas plasma beta-endorphin was subnormal by 4 to 6 fold. These results indicate that endogenous opioid systems regulate human neuro-oncogenesis, with opioids being active inhibitors of growth. Opioid antagonists up-regulate receptors and increase tissue levels of endogenous opioids and, under conditions in which the opioid antagonist is short-acting (e.g., 0.1 NTX), can have an exaggerated antitumor effect during the interval when the antagonist is no longer present.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004723:Endorphins / Q000502:physiology*; D004743:Enkephalin, Leucine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000378:metabolism; D016308:Enkephalin, Leucine-2-Alanine; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008819:Mice, Nude; D009271:Naltrexone / Q000494:pharmacology; D009368:Neoplasm Transplantation; D009447:Neuroblastoma / Q000209:etiology*; D011957:Receptors, Opioid / Q000502:physiology*; D014183:Transplantation, Heterologous
chemical_list: D004723:Endorphins; D011957:Receptors, Opioid; D004743:Enkephalin, Leucine; D009271:Naltrexone; D016308:Enkephalin, Leucine-2-Alanine