Morphine inhibits the release of tumor necrosis factor in human peripheral blood mononuclear cell cultures.
Opiates modulate a variety of immune responses of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). When PBMC were treated with morphine for 24 h, cells released less (P < 0.05) bioactive TNF, a cytokine important in host defense, in the following 24-h incubation period when stimulated with lipopolysaccharide and phytohemagglutinin. Morphine alone did not significantly alter the release of TNF from PBMC cultures. Pretreatment of PBMC cultures for 1 h with naloxone blocked (P < 0.05) the inhibitory effect of morphine on the release of TNF upon stimulation with phytohemagglutinin, but not with lipopolysaccharide, suggesting the involvement of an opioid receptor. The mechanism of morphine-induced suppression of TNF release appears to be counteracted by the effect of this opiate on the release of transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta, since antibodies to this immunoregulatory cytokine further enhanced morphine-related inhibition of TNF release. Taken together, these findings indicate that morphine suppresses the release of bioactive TNF from PBMC and that TGF-beta plays a modulatory role in this inhibitory process.
Neuroimmunobiology and Host Defense Laboratory, Minneapolis Medical Research Foundation, Minnesota 55404.
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D000328:Adult; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009020:Morphine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009270:Naloxone / Q000494:pharmacology; D011957:Receptors, Opioid / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta / Q000502:physiology; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000378:metabolism*
D011957:Receptors, Opioid; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D009270:Naloxone; D009020:Morphine