The plasma levels of the cytokines in opium-addicts and the effects of opium on the cytokines secretion by their lymphocytes

• Published in: Immunology letters Vol. 152; no. 1; pp. 42 - 46
• Main Authors: Nabati, Saeedeh, Asadikaram, Gholamreza, Arababadi, Mohammad Kazemi, Shahabinejad, Gholamabbas, Rezaeian, Mohsen, Mahmoodi, Mehdi, Kennedy, Derek
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 01.04.2013
• Subjects: Adaptive Immunity - drug effects; Adult; Allergy and Immunology; Cells, Cultured; Cytokines - blood; Cytokines - metabolism; enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay; Humans; IFN-γ; IL-4; IL-6; Immunity, Innate - drug effects; Immunosuppression; interferon-gamma; interleukin-4; interleukin-6; Iran; Lymphocyte Activation - drug effects; lymphocytes; Male; Middle Aged; Opioid-Related Disorders - blood; Opioid-Related Disorders - immunology; Opium; Opium - administration & dosage; patients; secretion; T-Lymphocytes - drug effects; T-Lymphocytes - immunology; TGF-β; transforming growth factor beta; Young Adult; Iran; IL-4; TGF-β; IFN-γ; Opium; IL-6
• ISSN: 0165-2478; 1879-0542; 1879-0542
• DOI: 10.1016/j.imlet.2013.04.003

•We study the effects of opium on the cytokines secretion in in vivo and in vitro.•Plasma levels of IL-4 and IFN-γ in opium-addicted cases were lower than controls.•Plasma levels of IL-6 and TGF-β in opium-addicted cases were higher than controls.•In vitro levels of all cytokines in opium-addicted cases were lower than controls.•Opium addiction can potentiate innate and suppress acquired immune functions. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of opium addiction on the secretion of IL-4, IFN-γ, IL-6 and TGF-β under in vivo and in vitro conditions. The blood samples were collected and PBMCs were cultured in RPMI1640 with and without opium for 48h. The levels of the cytokines were measured using ELISA technique. The results showed that plasma levels of IL-4 and IFN-γ were significantly lower and IL-6 and TGF-β were higher in plasma taken from opium-addicted subjects. The concentrations of all the cytokines in opium-addicted subjects in in vitro condition were significantly lower than the control group. Addicted subjects cultured lymphocytes significantly decrease secreted IL-4, IL-6 and TGF-β but not IFN-γ in response to being cultured with opium, where as IFN-γ was increased in controls. These results may explain the frequent microbial infections and an increased tumor incidence seen in addicted patients.