title: Norlaudanosoline and nicotine increase endogenous ganglionic morphine levels: nicotine addiction.
abstract: 1. Given the presence of morphine, its metabolites and precursors, e.g., norlaudanosoline, in mammalian and invertebrate tissues, it became important to determine if exposing normal excised ganglia to norlaudanosoline would result in increasing endogenous morphine levels. 2. Mytilus edulis pedal ganglia contain 2.2 +/- 0.41 ng/g wet weight morphine as determined by high pressure liquid chromatography coupled to electrochemical detection and radioimmunoassay. 3. Incubation of M. edulis pedal ganglia with norlaudanosoline, a morphine precursor, resulted in a concentration- and time-dependent statistical increase in endogenous morphine levels (6.9 +/- 1.24 ng/g). 4. Injection of animals with nicotine also increased endogenous morphine levels in a manner that was antagonized by atropine, suggesting that nicotine addiction may be related to altering endogenous morphine levels in mammals. 5. We surmise that norlaudanosoline is being converted to morphine, demonstrating that invertebrate neural tissue can synthesize morphine.
authors.affiliation: Neuroscience Research Institute, State University of New York, College at Old Westbury, P.O. Box 210, Old Westbury, New York 11568, USA.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Kirk J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Mantione
authors.forename: Lihua
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.forename: Brian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: George B
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Stefano
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001285:Atropine / Q000494:pharmacology; D005724:Ganglia / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000187:drug effects*; D008954:Models, Biological; D009020:Morphine / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism; D049880:Mytilus edulis / Q000378:metabolism; D009538:Nicotine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013765:Tetrahydropapaveroline / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014029:Tobacco Use Disorder / Q000209:etiology*
chemical_list: D013765:Tetrahydropapaveroline; D009538:Nicotine; D009020:Morphine; D001285:Atropine