LDN and the Liver studies - Met-enkaphlin

[Guest guest]

Hi,

In our support group, "Hepatitis_Children_and_CAM_Alternatives", Joyce has compiled the LDN studies in regard to LDN in regards to the liver, including the effects of met-enkaphlin. This might be interesting to some in this group as well.

Nola Chris

How endogenous opioids are evident in Liver Disease.

#1 -- 2008/09 - Human hepatic met-enkephalin and delta opioid receptor-1 immunoreactivities in viral and autoimmune hepatitis ls of Hepatology 2008; 7(3): July-September: 221-225 / Vijaya D. Boyella;1 D. Nicastri;2 Nora V. Bergasa3 http://www.medigraphic.com/pdfs/hepato/ah-2008/ah083e.pdf

#2 -- 2008/08 - Liver derived endogenous opioids may interfere with the therapeutic effect of interferon-chronic hepatitis C Med Hypotheses. 2008;70(3):556-9. Epub 2007 Aug 9 // Bergasa NV, Boyella VD. // Woodhull Medical and Mental Health Center, Department of Medicine, 760 Broadway, Brooklyn, NY 11206, United States. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17692472

#3 -- 2008/03 - Role of endogenous opioids in modulating HSC activity in vitro and liver fibrosis in vivo. Gut. 2008 Mar;57(3):352-64. Epub 2007 Nov 7. // De Minicis S, Candelaresi C, Marzioni M, Saccomano S, Roskams T, Casini A, Risaliti A, Salzano R, Cautero N, di Francesco F, Benedetti A, Svegliati-Baroni G. // Department of Gastroenterology, Polytechnic University of Marche, Ancona, Italy. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17989109

#4 -- 2006/01 - Met-enkephalin in the liver as a marker of hepatocellular damage in chronic viral hepatitis type B and C Advances in Medicine Volume 51 / 2006 / CCieœla A1*, Mach T 1, Pierzcha³a-Koziec K 2, Skwara P 1, Szczepañski W 3 / Jagiellonian University Medical College, Chair of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Infectious Diseases, Cracow, Poland http://www.advms.pl/ms_2006/Ciesla_A_Met-enkephalin%20in%20the%20liver%20as%20a%20marker%20of%20hepatocellular%20damage%20in%20chronic%20viral%20hepati.pdf

How opioid antagonists (specifically Naltrexone) can have a positive impact on Liver Disease.

#1 -- 2008/05 - Opioid receptor blockade improves mesenteric responsiveness in biliary cirrhosis Dig Dis Sci. 2008 Nov;53(11):3007-11. Epub 2008 May 9.Click here to read // Ebrahimkhani MR, Moezi L, Kiani S, Merat S, Dehpour AR. // Department of Pharmacology, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18465246?

#2 -- 2008/11 - Naltrexone Protects Against Lipopolysaccharide/D-Galactosamine–Induced Hepatitis in Mice (Full Article) -

Abstract. Naltrexone, an opioid receptor antagonist, has been claimed to have anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects both in vitro and in vivo. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of naltrexone on acute hepatitis induced by intraperitoneal (i.p.) administration of lipopolysaccharide (LPS, 20 ìg/kg)/D-galactosamine (D-gal, 700 mg/kg) in conscious ICR mice. Results demonstrated that post-treatment with naltrexone (20 mg/kg, i.p.) significantly attenuated the deleterious liver function in mice treated with LPS /D-gal. It was also found that naltrexone significantly inhibited the elevation of plasma tumor necrosis factor-á (TNF-á) caused by LPS/D-gal. The overproduction of nitric oxide (NO) and superoxide anions induced byLPS/D-gal were also significantly reduced by naltrexone. Moreover, infiltration of neutrophils into the liver of mice 12 h after treatment with LPS /D-gal was also decreased by naltrexone. In conclusion, the beneficial effects of naltrexone on LPS /D-gal–induced hepatitis result from its inhibition of pro-inflammatory factors and antioxidant effects. Thus, naltrexone is of therapeutic potential for treating liver injury.

****Note – Notice that the dose Naltrexone that helped the hepatitis was (20 mg/kg, i.p.).

#3 -- 2009/02 - New insights into the role of endogenous opioids in the pathogenesis of gastrointestinal and liver disease

Gut 2009;58:893-895 doi:10.1136/gut.2007.141648 // Ali R Mani P // Dr , Centre for Hepatology, Royal Free Campus, UCL Medical School, University College London, Rowland Hill Street, London NW3 2PF, UK; kmoore@... http://gut.bmj.com/content/58/7/893.extract

"Opiates have been known for centuries for their role in the management of pain. In 1975, and Kosterlitz isolated two endogenous peptides (enkephalins) from pig brain with high affinity for opioid receptors.1 Later, other groups of endogenous opioids, the endorphins, dynorphins and endomorphins were discovered. These endogenous opioid peptides bind to multiple opioid receptors (mu, delta and kappa) which belong to the G protein-coupled super-family of receptors. Initially the function of these peptides was thought to be limited to analgesia and the modulation of gastrointestinal motility; however, recent data have elucidated that endogenous opioids can regulate cell growth, differentiation and survival in non-neuronal systems such as inflammatory cells and biliary epithelia, as well as hepatic stellate cells.2–5

The involvement of endogenous opioids in the pathophysiology of gastrointestinal and hepatobiliary disease has been widely studied in recent years. The most significant observations directing the interest toward this field have been: (1) endogenous opioids exhibit anti-inflammatory properties in the gut and this effect may have implication in the management of inflammatory bowel disease;6 (2) biliary injury is associated with increased production of endogenous opioids7 and opioid receptor antagonists have a beneficial effect on pruritus of cholestasis;8 (3) endogenous opioids modulate hepatic stellate cell activation and opioid receptor antagonists show an anti-fibrotic effect in experimental models of hepatic fibrosis;4 5 (4) a novel opioid receptor (opioid growth factor receptor) has recently been identified which plays an important role in the negative regulation of cell proliferation in pancreatic cancer.9 The purpose of this brief review is to examine the available data concerning the role of endogenous opioids in the pathophysiology of gastrointestinal and liver disease and to discuss new therapeutic possibilities of opioid manipulation in gastrointestinal diseases. "

#4 -- National Institutes of Health, National Library of Medicine, Pub Med Websitehttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez

1. Reducing Liver Enzymes Levels, including Hepatitis (PMID: 16839858 & PMID: 9411543)2. Reducing Liver Damage in Hepatitis (PMID: 15389866)3. Reducing Liver Injury in Cholestasis (PMID: 17295775)4. Reducing Liver Enzymes in Cholestasis (PMID: 12570015)5. Reducing Liver Fibrosis (PMID: 16543289)6. Anti-inflammatory effects & improving hepatic dysfunction (PMID: 15917999)7. Benefits in Cholestatic Pruritus (PMID: 9322521 & PMID: 15517116