title: Effects of opioid therapy on human natural killer cells.
abstract: Opioid compounds, such as morphine, induce powerful analgesic effects and are extensively used clinically to treat a wide variety of pain. The aim of our study was to evaluate the impact of opioid therapy on phenotype and function peripheral blood NK cells. The patients were referred to three Italian pain therapy centers (Milan, Pavia, Piacenza) for chronic pain in neuropathic or mixed somatic components. The patients were between 18 and 75 years old and were of Caucasian ethnicity. We studied the expression of activating and inhibitory NK receptors to discriminate NK subsets with different CD56 surface expression intensities (CD56(bright) and CD56(dull) NK cells). The flow cytometry analysis of the NK cells was at normal levels in peripheral blood lymphocytes with fewer CD56(bright) compared to the CD56(dull) NK cell subset when compared to blood from drug free donors. Furthermore, the cytolytic activity of in vitro patient NK cells analyzed was not lower, as would be expected from the regular expression of activating NK receptors for both subsets. Taken together, these data indicate that NK cells from opioid treated patients do not show any signs of NK cell immune-suppression.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, Division of Experimental Oncology and Immunology, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy.
authors.forename: Giovanna
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tabellini
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical and Experimental Sciences, Division of Anatomy and Physiopathology, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy. Electronic address: eborsani@med.unibs.it.
authors.forename: Elisa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Borsani
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, Division of Experimental Oncology and Immunology, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy.
authors.forename: Marzia
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Benassi
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, Division of Experimental Oncology and Immunology, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy.
authors.forename: Ornella
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Patrizi
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, Division of Biotechnology, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy.
authors.forename: Doris
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ricotta
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, Division of Biotechnology, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy.
authors.forename: Luigi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Caimi
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical and Experimental Sciences, Division of Anatomy and Physiopathology, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy.
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lanzi
authors.affiliation: Pain Therapy Center, Guglielmo da Saliceto Hospital, Piacenza, Italy.
authors.forename: Fabrizio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Micheli
authors.affiliation: Pain Medicine Center "Mario Tiengo", IRCCS Foundation, Major Hospital Policlinico Mangiagalli and Regina Elena, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Vittorio
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Iorno
authors.affiliation: Unit of Palliative Care and Pain Therapy, "S. Maugeri" Foundation, IRCCS, Pavia, Italy.
authors.forename: Raffaella
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bettaglio
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical and Experimental Sciences, Division of Anatomy and Physiopathology, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy.
authors.forename: Rita
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rezzani
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical and Experimental Sciences, Division of Anatomy and Physiopathology, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy.
authors.forename: Luigi F
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Rodella
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, Division of Experimental Oncology and Immunology, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy.
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Parolini
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000701:Analgesics, Opioid / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D019002:CD56 Antigen / Q000378:metabolism; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D059350:Chronic Pain / Q000188:drug therapy*; D003602:Cytotoxicity, Immunologic / Q000187:drug effects; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016130:Immunophenotyping; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000276:immunology; D016131:Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009020:Morphine / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D054340:Receptors, KIR / Q000378:metabolism; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000701:Analgesics, Opioid; D019002:CD56 Antigen; D054340:Receptors, KIR; D009020:Morphine
keywords: Chronic pain; Human subjects; NK cells; Opioid therapy