AMPHETAMINE TRIGGERS AN INCREASE IN MET-ENKEPHALIN SIMULTANEOUSLY IN BRAIN AREAS AND IMMUNE CELLS.

MA ASIS, C COLLINO, M DE L FIGUEROLA, C SOTOMAYOR, L M CANCELA

JOURNAL OF NEUROIMMUNOLOGY

Elsevier

Lugar: Amsterdan; Año: 2006 vol. 178 p. 62 - 75

0165-5728

Met-enkephalin is involved in behavioral sensitization to psychostimulants and might also participate at immune level. We analyzed long-lasting effects of amphetamine on proenkephalin-derived peptides in brain areas and immune cells in rats. An amphetamine single dose decreased the concanavalin-A-induced lymphocyte proliferation, and this effect was accompanied by elevated levels of free met-enkephalin in nucleus accumbens, prefrontal cortex, spleen and thymus. Proenkephalin was increased in prefrontal cortex and in immune tissues while proenkephalin mRNA levels did not show any change. The non-activated cultured splenocytes from amphetamine-treated rats released the same quantity of cryptic met-enkephalin-containing products as produced by concanavalin-A-stimulated control splenocytes.