Opioid Peptides Mediate the Suppressive Effect of Stress on Natural Killer Cell Cytotoxicity
- 13 January 1984
- journal article
- research article
- Published by American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Science
- Vol. 223 (4632), 188-190
- https://doi.org/10.1126/science.6691146
Abstract
The cytotoxic activity of natural killer cells was investigated in rats subjected to one of two inescapable footshock stress paradigms, both of which induce analgesia, but only one via activation of opioid mechanisms. Splenic natural killer cell activity was suppressed by the opioid, but not the nonopioid, form of stress. This suppression was blocked by the opioid antagonist naltrexone. Similar suppression of natural killer activity was induced by high doses of morphine. These results suggest that endogenous opioid peptides mediate the suppressive effect of certain forms of stress on natural killer cell cytotoxicity.This publication has 55 references indexed in Scilit:
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