International Union for Circumpolar Health Ministry of Public Health and Social Development of RF Russian Academy of Medical Sciences Siberian Branch of Russian Academy of Medical Sciences Siberian Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences Medical Polar Fund “Science” The Northern Forum

Abstracts

Alcohol, smoking, and drug abuse

In spite of the opiates ability to suppress the cellular and humoral immunity, long-term administration of morphine is accompanied by an increase in a titer of anti-drug antibodies. This phenomenon is usually considered as the element of tolerance formation, while the other physiological effects of anti-morphine antibodies are not studied.

Specific binding sites of antibodies to morphine (AM) were determined in rat brain structures participating in the formation of drug dependence – septum, area tegmentalis, several hypothalamic nuclei, paraaqueductal gray, as well as in olfactory bulbs, granular layer of cerebellum, fascia dentate and CA1, CA3 hippocampal areas.

Development of chronic opiate dependence in rats results in modification of synaptic plasticity, in particular, in facilitation of long-term potentiation (LTP) in hippocampus. In hippocampal slices of intact rats AM application led to LTP facilitation comparable with LTP parameters in chronically dependent rats. Slight stimulating effects of AM on LTP were kept in hippocampal slices of chronically dependent rats. The time interval of sharp increase in a titer of circulating AM correlates with the manifestation of LTP facilitation in morphine-treated animals. Earlier we’ve shown that the development of chronic opiate dependence caused an increase in blood-brain barrier permeability. Thus it seems possible that antibodies to morphine are involved into modification of synaptic plasticity in brain, and, hence, the functional activity of CNS as a whole, during the formation of drug dependence.

Note. Abstracts are published in author's edition

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Last update: 06-Jul-2012 (11:52:05)