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Morphine Reciprocally Regulates IL-10 and IL-12 Production by Monocyte-Derived Human Dendritic Cells and Enhances T Cell Activation

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Abstract

We evaluated the effect of morphine on human dendritic cells (DCs). Interestingly, immature DCs were found to express all 3 (μ, κ, δ) opioid receptors on the cell surface. Chronic morphine treatment (10−8 to 10−12 M) during the development of DCs from monocytes augmented LPS-induced upregulation of HLA-DR, CD86, CD80, and CD83 and increased the T cell stimulatory capacity of DCs, which could be inhibited by naloxone, an opioid receptor antagonist. The change in surface phenotype was paralleled by a p38 MAPK-dependent decrease in IL-10 and increase in IL-12 secretion. Our data indicate that morphine exerts an immunostimulatory effect by modulating LPS-induced DC maturation.

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Acknowledgments

We wish to thank Gloria Telusma and Nick Franki for their technical assistance and Cathy Rapelje for FACS analysis. We also thank Ona Bloom for critical reading of the manuscript. This work was supported by grants (5RO1DA12111) from the National Institutes of Health.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Experimental Immunology, The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, 350 Community Drive, Manhasset, NY, USA

    Davorka Messmer

  2. The Division of Kidney Diseases and Hypertension, Long Island Jewish Medical Center, 410 Lakeville Road, New Hyde Park, NY, USA

    Ikusuke Hatsukari, Naoko Hitosugi & Pravin C Singhal

  3. Department of Internal Medicine, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms Universitaet, Sigmund Freud Str., Bonn, Germany

    Ingo G H Schmidt-Wolf

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  1. Davorka Messmer
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  2. Ikusuke Hatsukari
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  3. Naoko Hitosugi
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  4. Ingo G H Schmidt-Wolf
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  5. Pravin C Singhal
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Correspondence to Davorka Messmer.

Additional information

D.M. and I.H. contributed equally to the work.

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Messmer, D., Hatsukari, I., Hitosugi, N. et al. Morphine Reciprocally Regulates IL-10 and IL-12 Production by Monocyte-Derived Human Dendritic Cells and Enhances T Cell Activation. Mol Med 12, 284–290 (2006). https://doi.org/10.2119/2006-00043.Messmer

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