Norlaudanosoline and Nicotine Increase Endogenous Ganglionic Morphine Levels: Nicotine Addiction

Abstract

1. Given the presence of morphine, its metabolites and precursors, e.g., norlaudanosoline, in mammalian and invertebrate tissues, it became important to determine if exposing normal excised ganglia to norlaudanosoline would result in increasing endogenous morphine levels. 2. Mytilus edulis pedal ganglia contain 2.2 +/- 0.41 ng/g wet weight morphine as determined by high pressure liquid chromatography coupled to electrochemical detection and radioimmunoassay. 3. Incubation of M. edulis pedal ganglia with norlaudanosoline, a morphine precursor, resulted in a concentration- and time-dependent statistical increase in endogenous morphine levels (6.9 +/- 1.24 ng/g). 4. Injection of animals with nicotine also increased endogenous morphine levels in a manner that was antagonized by atropine, suggesting that nicotine addiction may be related to altering endogenous morphine levels in mammals. 5. We surmise that norlaudanosoline is being converted to morphine, demonstrating that invertebrate neural tissue can synthesize morphine.

Basic research Chronic alcohol exposure increases ganglia endogenous morphine levels

“…In sum, previous work from our laboratory has demonstrated that multiple substances of abuse have the ability to enhance endogenous morphine processes at a common step, e.g., release from cellular stores, in invertebrate and human tissues [23, 24 28, 30]. In the present report we further demonstrate that chronic exposure of neural tissues to ethanol induces a time dependent increase in both endogenous morphine and DA levels.…”

Comparative Aspects of Endogenous Morphine Synthesis and Signaling in Animals

“…It appears that after more than 30 years of research into an animal's ability to make morphine the empirical evidence is now overwhelming. Recent reports have also demonstrated that major substances of abuse, i.e., nicotine, alcohol, and cocaine, appear to work via altering endogenous morphinergic signaling in a common manner, i.e., inducing morphine release 25 , 88–93 . Furthermore, endogenous morphine participates in physiological processes transcending pain, making it an important chemical messenger.…”

Endogenous opiates and behavior: 2009

“…Nicotine induced c-fos within CRF and Enk, but not DYN cells within the PVN (698). Norlaudanosoline and nicotine increase endogenous invertebrate ganglionic morphine (1328). Chronic swim stress increased nicotine's ability to increase plasma ACTH and BEND, but not corticosterone, whereas stress itself increased plasma corticosterone, but not ACTH or BEND (703).…”