title: Prolonged morphine administration alters protein expression in the rat myocardium.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Morphine is used in clinical practice as a highly effective painkiller as well as the drug of choice for treatment of certain heart diseases. However, there is lack of information about its effect on protein expression in the heart. Therefore, here we aimed to identify the presumed alterations in rat myocardial protein levels after prolonged morphine treatment.
  
  
  METHODS
  Morphine was administered to adult male Wistar rats in high doses (10 mg/kg per day) for 10 days. Proteins from the plasma membrane- and mitochondria-enriched fractions or cytosolic proteins isolated from left ventricles were run on 2D gel electrophoresis, scanned and quantified with specific software to reveal differentially expressed proteins.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Nine proteins were found to show markedly altered expression levels in samples from morphine-treaded rats and these proteins were identified by mass spectrometric analysis. They belong to different cell pathways including signaling, cytoprotective, and structural elements.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The present identification of several important myocardial proteins altered by prolonged morphine treatment points to global effects of this drug on heart tissue. These findings represent an initial step toward a more complex view on the action of morphine on the heart.
authors: Department of Physiology, Charles University, Prague.
authors: Zdenka
authors: Z
authors: Drastichova
authors: Jitka
authors: J
authors: Skrabalova
authors: Jan
authors: J
authors: Neckar
authors: Frantisek
authors: F
authors: Kolar
authors: Jiri
authors: J
authors: Novotny
mesh_terms: D000701:Analgesics, Opioid / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D008297:Male; D009020:Morphine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009206:Myocardium / Q000378:metabolism*; D011506:Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D040901:Proteomics; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
chemical_list: D000701:Analgesics, Opioid; D011506:Proteins; D009020:Morphine