Morphine tolerance

2002/03/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Osasuna

Morphine has a great ability to eliminate pain, but the body is easily accustomed to the first dose, so increasing doses are needed. In fact, morphine is attached to the superficial opiate receptors of neurons and continuously sends signals to the neuron. Therefore, if the dose is not increased, the neuron does not respond to the signal.

The team of researchers led by biologist Jennifer Whistler of the University of California, with the aim of studying morphine tolerance, gave the rats the opioid DAMGO along with morphine. Subsequently, for seven days they were measured sensitivity to tail heat. Rats with empty morphine were able to notice the heat for the seventh day, while those taking DAMGO were still painless. Apparently, DAMGO allows cells to internalize the receptors associated with morphine. Thus, superficial receptors are free, so there is no tolerance or dependence of morphine.