Immunologic Effects of Morphine Administration in Rabbits

[摘要] Long-term effects of morphine administration on immunologic test responses were studied in female rabbits. Implantation of morphine-containing pellets was found to be more effective than injection of morphine sulfate solutions in promoting increased serum binding of 14C-morphine. A large part of the increased morphine binding by sera associated with administration of morphine was found in serum fractions containing γ-globulin and was absent in γ-globulin-free fractions. These sera showed some degree of specificity for the morphine configuration in tests with other narcotics. They also gave positive immunologic test reactions in passive hemagglutination and radial immunodiffusion tests involving serum albumins conjugated with morphine derivatives. Other evidence for immunologic responsiveness against morphine by morphine-pretreated rabbits was shown by cutaneous hypersensitivity reactions against morphine-carrier conjugates and by a diminution of the serum morphine-binding response in rabbits given an immunosuppressive dose of cyclophosphamide. Failure of naloxone, a morphine antagonist, to alter the serum morphine-binding response suggested that serum levels of the morphine-binding globulin studied here were not directly related to morphine withdrawal.

[学科分类] 生物科学（综合）