title: Opioid peptides and primary biliary cirrhosis.
abstract: Patients with liver disease have increased plasma concentrations of the endogenous opioid peptides methionine enkephalin and leucine enkephalin. As an initial investigation to determine whether opioid peptides contribute to any of the clinical manifestations of hepatic disease nalmefene, a specific opioid antagonist devoid of agonist activity, was given to 11 patients with cirrhosis. They all experienced a severe opioid withdrawal reaction on starting the drug. In the nine patients with primary biliary cirrhosis pruritus was greatly alleviated, fatigue seemed to improve, and plasma bilirubin concentration, which had been rising, showed a modest fall in all except one patient. These results indicate that blocking opioid receptors has an effect on some of the metabolic abnormalities of liver disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, St James's University Hospital, Leeds.
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Thornton
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Losowsky
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001663:Bilirubin / Q000097:blood; D005221:Fatigue / Q000188:drug therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008105:Liver Cirrhosis, Biliary / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009271:Naltrexone / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D009292:Narcotic Antagonists / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011537:Pruritus / Q000188:drug therapy; D013375:Substance Withdrawal Syndrome / Q000209:etiology
chemical_list: D009292:Narcotic Antagonists; D009271:Naltrexone; D001663:Bilirubin; C038981:nalmefene