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2007, Journal of Hepatology
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The increment of opioidergic neuromodulation is a systemic phenomenon in cholestatic liver disease. Previous studies have revealed the increment of plasma and liver concentrations of opioid peptides in animal models of cholestasis and human cholestatic cirrhosis. The present study was conducted to clarify the effects of chronic opioid administration on liver antioxidant defence and hepatocytes vitality Methods: Mice were divided into four groups: Control group, received vehicle (normal saline); Mor group, received morphine injections at dose of 10 mg/kg; Mor+Nal group, received 10 mgikg morphine and 10 mgikg naltrexone injections. In order to investigate whether morphine-induced oxidative stress contributes to induction of apoptosis in hepatocytes we treated the mice in Mor+NAC group with 500mgikg intragastric dose of N-acetylcysteine, 30 min prior to subcutaneous injection of 10 mgikg morphine. All agents were injected intraperitoneally for 9 consecutive days. The changes in liver glutathione concentration and its synthesis pathway were determined. The activities of hepatic antioxidant enzymes were also measured. Induction of apoptosis was examined by in situ determination of the fragmented DNA. The enzyme activities of aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, and gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase were also determined in plasma of mice. Results: Following 9 days of morphine injection hepatocytes apoptosis index and biochemical markers of liver damage increased significantly. Liver glutathione concentration as well as catalase, glutathione peroxidase, and superoxide dismutase activities were significantly decreased in Mor group. Hepatic glutathione biosynthesis pathway was changed in the way to compensate for reduced hepatocytes glutathione concentrations. In Mor+Nal group, co-treatment of mice with naltrexone normalized the aforementioned changes. Interestingly, the pro-apoptotic effects of morphine were antagonized by co-administration of thiol antioxidant in Mor+NAC group. Co-treatment of mice with N-acetylcysteine also normalized other oxidant and hepatotoxic effects of morphine. Conclusion: Since the effects of chronic morphine treatment were opioid receptor-mediated and were antagonized by co-administration of an exogenous thiol antioxidant, our findings propose that chronic opioidergic neuromodulation induces oxidative stress in the liver, which may contribute to induction of apoptosis in hepatocytes. These data are valuable in interpretation of the opioid-dependent liver damage during cholestatic liver disease.
Life sciences, 2006
Recently many researchers have proposed a protective role for morphine against tumor growth and metastasis, especially through induction of apoptosis in tumoral cells. These findings may lead to underestimation of cytotoxic effects of opioid drugs which are usually expected only at high doses. The present study was conducted to clarify whether repeated morphine administration, which is commonly used for relief from chronic pain, would interfere with liver antioxidant defence and hepatocytes vitality. Morphine was injected repeatedly at doses that have been reported to relieve cancer pain and reduce tumor spread in mice (5 and 10 mg/kg/day for nine consecutive days). The changes in hepatic glutathione concentration, its synthesis pathway and enzymatic antioxidant defense revealed the pro-oxidant effects of chronic morphine treatment on the liver. None of these changes were observed in those mice that were co-treated with naltrexone (opioid antagonist) and same doses of morphine. However induction of liver conjugating enzymes following morphine treatment was not receptor mediated. Moreover, chronic morphine treatment induced hepatocytes apoptosis. Interestingly, the apoptotic changes were antagonized by co-administration of either naltrexone or thiol antioxidant. In conclusion, although hepatotoxic effects of morphine at high doses have been reported previously, our findings propose that repeated morphine administration even at lower doses would induce oxidative stress in the liver, which may contribute to induction of apoptosis in hepatocytes. Since many of the observed adverse effects were mediated by opioid receptors, our results suggest that other opioid analgesics should also be used more cautiously.
Liver International, 2007
Aims/Background: There are increasing number of evidences indicating the contribution of endogenous opioids in the pathophysiology of cholestatic liver disease. The aim of the present study was to determine the role of the endogenous-opioid system in the modulation of hepatocytes apoptosis and liver oxidant/anti-oxidant balance during chronic cholestasis in rats. Methods: We induced cholestasis in rats by bile duct ligation (BDL). Naltrexone, an opioid antagonist, was administered at different doses (2.5, 5, 10, 20 and 40 mg/kg/day) to cholestatic animals for 5 weeks. Results: Naltrexone prevented the cholestasis-induced decrease of hepatic glutathione levels at higher doses (20 and 40 mg/kg/day). In the next phase of the study, we evaluated the effects of 20 mg/kg/day naltrexone treatment on hepatic damage indices and liver oxidant/anti-oxidant balance in 5-week BDL rats. There was a marked increase in the number of apoptotic hepatocytes as well as serum liver enzymes and hepatic lipid peroxidation levels in cholestatic rats compared with sham-operated animals 5 weeks after the operation. Liver anti-oxidant enzyme activities were significantly reduced in cholestatic rats compared with controls. Chronic treatment with naltrexone significantly improved all the aforementioned indices in comparison with saline-treated cholestatic rats. Conclusion: Our findings demonstrate that the administration of opioid antagonist is protective against hepatic damage in a rat model of chronic cholestasis. We suggest that increased levels of endogenous opioids contribute to hepatocytes apoptosis in cholestasis, possibly through downregulation of liver anti-oxidant defense.
International Journal of High Risk Behaviors and Addiction
Background: Co-administration of opioid agonists and antagonists at low doses has been reported to significantly enhance and/or prolong the analgesic effects and reduce or prevent tolerance to or dependence on opioids. Objectives: The current study aimed at evaluating the naloxone effect on morphine-induced histopathological and hematologic changes in rats. Materials and Mehods: Thirty mature male Wistar rats were categorized into three groups (n = 10) in a random manner, including the control group receiving normal saline, the morphine-sole group receiving morphine (5 mg/kg/day), and morphine + naloxone group receiving morphine and naloxone (5 and 0.4 mg/kg/day, respectively). After 50 days, the levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), triglyceride (TG), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), cholesterol, and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) were measured in the serum. Moreover, the levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), malondialdehyde (MDA), a...
Morphine exhibits important pharmacological effects for which it has been used in medical practice for quite a long time. However, it has a high addictive potential and can be abused. Long-term use of this drug can be connected with some pathological consequences including neurotoxicity and neuronal dysfunction, hepatotoxicity, kidney dysfunction, oxidative stress and apoptosis. Therefore, most studies examining the impact of morphine have been aimed at determining the effects induced by chronic morphine exposure in the brain, liver, cardiovascular system and macrophages. It appears that different tissues may respond to morphine diversely and are distinctly susceptible to oxidative stress and subsequent oxidative damage of biomolecules. Importantly, production of reactive oxygen/nitrogen species induced by morphine, which have been observed under different experimental conditions, can contribute to some pathological processes, degen-erative diseases and organ dysfunctions occurring in morphine abusers or morphine-treated patients. This review attempts to provide insights into the possible relationship between morphine actions and oxidative stress.
Neurochemical Research, 2006
The aim of the present study is to evaluate the oxidative damage in rats of different ages. Weaned rats of 25 g and adults of 300 g were used in groups of 6, a single i.p. dose of morphine sulfate of 3, 6 or 12 mg/kg was administered. All animals were sacrificed to measure GSH and 5-HT levels in brain by liquid chromatography, as well as Na+, K+-ATPase and total ATPase enzymatic activity. 5-HT levels decreased significantly (p+, K+-ATPase activity increased significantly (p+, K+-ATPase and total ATPase partially diminished. GSH levels diminished significantly (p
Addiction with opium and its derivatives represent one of the major problems worldwide. The main objective of this study is to estimate the immunomodulatory chemokine , liver oxidative enzyme markers and apoptosis in opium addicted rats via intraperitoneal injection. Thirty male rats were randomly distributed into three groups. Group 1 regarded as control, while in group2 and 3, the animals were daily injected intraperitoneally with (25 and 50 mg opium/kg b.w.) for seven successive days. The level of Monocyte Chemoattractant Protein-1 (MCP-1) chemokine was estimated within sera samples using ELISA special kit. Enzymatic levels of alkaline phosphatase (ALP), Xanthine Oxidase (XO), Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) in serum were assayed, and concentration of Malondialdehyde (MDA) estimated, besides determining the percent count of apoptotic hepatocytes. Significant induction was observed in MCP-1 level. The activity of ALP and XO were significantly and dose dependently changed, whereas the MDA significantly elevated in both doses, but there were no difference between the two doses. A significant reduction was occurred in G6PD in both low and high doses. The frequency of apoptotic hepatocytes significantly increase in concentration dependent manner. This study suggests that intraperitoneal injection of opium causes immunomodulation through induction of MCP-1 and also causes alteration in liver oxidant and antioxidant balance. Hepatocyte apoptosis occurred in concentration dependent manner.