Key result
High-dose morphine alters nine myocardial proteins involved in signaling, cytoprotection, and structure in rats.
Why the study?
There is a lack of information about the effect of prolonged morphine treatment on protein expression in the heart.
Does prolonged morphine administration alter myocardial protein expression in adult male Wistar rats?
Does prolonged morphine administration alter myocardial protein expression in adult male Wistar rats?
Prolonged high-dose morphine administration alters the expression of multiple myocardial proteins involved in signaling, cytoprotection, and structure in rats.
Should not alter clinical opioid use; hypothesis-generating for myocardial effects in humans.
BACKGROUND: Morphine is used in clinical practice as a highly effective painkiller as well as the drug of choice for treatment of certain heart diseases. However, there is lack of information about its effect on protein expression in the heart. Therefore, here we aimed to identify the presumed alterations in rat myocardial protein levels after prolonged morphine treatment. METHODS: Morphine was administered to adult male Wistar rats in high doses (10 mg/kg per day) for 10 days. Proteins from the plasma membrane- and mitochondria-enriched fractions or cytosolic proteins isolated from left ventricles were run on 2D gel electrophoresis, scanned and quantified with specific software to reveal differentially expressed proteins. RESULTS: Nine proteins were found to show markedly altered expression levels in samples from morphine-treaded rats and these proteins were identified by mass spectrometric analysis. They belong to different cell pathways including signaling, cytoprotective, and structural elements. CONCLUSIONS: The present identification of several important myocardial proteins altered by prolonged morphine treatment points to global effects of this drug on heart tissue. These findings represent an initial step toward a more complex view on the action of morphine on the heart.
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Drastichová et al. (2011) studied Healthy (rat myocardium) (n=20). Morphine vs. Saline was evaluated on Differentially expressed myocardial proteins. Prolonged administration of high-dose morphine (10 mg/kg/day for 10 days) in rats significantly altered the expression of nine myocardial proteins involved in signaling, cytoprotection, and structural elements.
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