Effect of opium addiction on lipid profile and atherosclerosis formation in hypercholesterolemic rabbits.
In some Asian and Middle Eastern societies, opium consumption has traditionally been regarded as a way to lower blood lipids and to prevent heart diseases. This could eventually lead to addiction. In this study, the effect of oral opium consumption on serum lipids and atherogenesis in rabbits was investigated. Twenty-eight male New Zealand white rabbits were divided into control, hypercholesterolemic, addicted, and hypercholesterolemic-addicted groups and were studied for 3 months. Serum lipid profile was determined at the beginning of the study and at 1 month intervals thereafter. At the end of the study period, aortic plaque formation was assessed. Compared with control, in the hypercholesterolemic and hypercholesterolemic-addicted groups, cholesterol, triglycerides, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels were significantly increased (P<0.01). The increases in lipids and lesion areas in the aorta were higher in hypercholesterolemic-addicted than hypercholesterolemic group (P<0.05). Our findings suggest that opium consumption can have aggravating effects in atherosclerosis formation related with hypercholesterolemia, mainly affecting lipid profile.
Department of Biochemistry, Afzalipour School of Medicine, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran.
Abbas
A
Mohammadi
Maryam
M
Darabi
Mohammad
M
Nasry
Mohammad-Javad
MJ
Saabet-Jahromi
Reza
R
Malek-Pour-Afshar
Hassan
H
Sheibani
D000818:Animals; D001011:Aorta / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology / Q000378:metabolism*; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood; D002791:Cholesterol, Dietary / Q000008:administration & dosage; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL / Q000097:blood; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D006937:Hypercholesterolemia / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology / Q000378:metabolism*; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D009293:Opioid-Related Disorders / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications* / Q000378:metabolism; D009892:Opium / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000633:toxicity; D011817:Rabbits; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood
D002791:Cholesterol, Dietary; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL; D008055:Lipids; D014280:Triglycerides; D009892:Opium; D002784:Cholesterol