title: Morphine-6beta-glucuronide modulates the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase.
abstract: The immunomodulatory effects of morphine are well established; however, suprisingly little is known about the immunomodulatory properties of the major metabolites of morphine. The present study tests the hypothesis that expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) is modulated by the administration of the morphine metabolite, morphine-6beta-glucuronide. The initial study using rats shows that morphine-6beta-glucuronide administration (0, 1.0, 3.163, 10 mg/kg s.c.) results in a pronounced reduction in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced expression of iNOS (inducible nitricoxide synthease) in spleen, lung, and liver tissue as measured by western blotting. Morphine-6beta-glucuronide also produces a reduction in the level of plasma nitrite/nitrate, the more stable end-product of nitric oxide degradation. In a subsequent study, administration of the opioid receptor antagonist, naltrexone (0.1 mg/kg) prior to the injection of morphine-6beta-glucuronide (10 mg/kg) blocks the morphine-6beta-glucuronide induced reduction of iNOS expression and plasma nitrite/nitrite levels indicating that the effect is mediated via the opioid-receptor. This study provides the first evidence that morphine-6beta-glucuronide alters the expression of iNOS.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 27599-3270, USA.
authors.forename: D T
authors.initials: DT
authors.lastname: Lysle
authors.forename: K A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Carrigan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000494:pharmacology; D008099:Liver / Q000201:enzymology; D008168:Lung / Q000201:enzymology; D008297:Male; D009022:Morphine Derivatives / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009271:Naltrexone / Q000494:pharmacology; D009292:Narcotic Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D009566:Nitrates / Q000097:blood; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D052247:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II; D051381:Rats; D011917:Rats, Inbred Lew; D013154:Spleen / Q000201:enzymology; D014018:Tissue Distribution
chemical_list: D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; D009022:Morphine Derivatives; D009292:Narcotic Antagonists; D009566:Nitrates; D009271:Naltrexone; C035349:morphine-6-glucuronide; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase; D052247:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II; C496318:Nos2 protein, rat