Morphine, an opium derivative similar to heroin, protects rat neurons from HIV toxicity, researchers from Georgetown University Medical Center announced at a meeting of the Neuroimmunopharmacology Association. This surprising discovery could lead to the development of a protective therapy for the nervous system of HIV-infected patients.
HIV infection, in addition to the well-known consequences for the immune system, also has a negative effect on the nervous system, where it damages neurons and, as a result, leads to motor impairment, cognitive disorders, anxiety and depression. Nonetheless, medical statistics record that a small minority of heroin addicts who contracted HIV using shared syringes do not have dementia associated with the virus. Now the discovery of scientists from Georgetown explains why.
We believe that morphine may have neuroprotective effects on some HIV-infected people, explains Dr. Italo Mocchetti, the lead author of the study. Of course, this does not mean that people should take morphine or heroin to protect themselves – it would not make sense, but our discovery gives us new ideas that can be used when working on new drugs against HIV, the scientist emphasizes.
We are very surprised, we initially assumed the opposite – we had the hypothesis that heroin destroys neurons in the brain, leading to HIV-related dementia, the author adds.
Dr. Mocchetti’s group conducted a series of experiments in rats and found that morphine inhibited the toxic effects of HIV on a protein called gp120, which mediates the entry of the virus into cells of the immune system. In addition, scientists observed that morphine activates the synthesis of the CCL5 protein in astrocytes in the brain. The CCL5 protein activates factors that inhibit HIV entry into the cells of the immune system, which protects neurons from dying.
The authors of the study explain that it would now be ideal to use this information to create a drug similar to morphine, but not addictive. (PAP)