ascorbic-acid and morphinone

Opioids and their antagonists alter vitamin C metabolism. Morphine binds to glutathione (l-γ-glutamyl-l-cysteinyl-glycine), an intracellular ascorbic acid recycling molecule with a wide range of additional activities. The morphine metabolite morphinone reacts with glutathione to form a covalent adduct that is then excreted in urine. Morphine also binds to adrenergic and histaminergic receptors in their extracellular loop regions, enhancing aminergic agonist activity. The first and second extracellular loops of adrenergic and histaminergic receptors are, like glutathione, characterized by the presence of cysteines and/or methionines, and recycle ascorbic acid with similar efficiency. Conversely, adrenergic drugs bind to extracellular loops of opioid receptors, enhancing their activity. These observations suggest functional interactions among opioids and amines, their receptors, and glutathione. We therefore explored the relative binding affinities of ascorbic acid, dehydroascorbic acid, opioid and adrenergic compounds, as well as various control compounds, to glutathione and glutathione-like peptides derived from the extracellular loop regions of the human beta 2-adrenergic, dopamine D1, histamine H1, and mu opioid receptors, as well as controls. Some cysteine-containing peptides derived from these receptors do bind ascorbic acid and/or dehydroascorbic acid and the same peptides generally bind opioid compounds. Glutathione binds not only morphine but also naloxone, methadone, and methionine enkephalin. Some adrenergic drugs also bind to glutathione and glutathione-like receptor regions. These sets of interactions provide a novel basis for understanding some ways that adrenergic, opioid and antioxidant systems interact during anesthesia and drug abuse and may have utility for understanding drug interactions.

Topics: Analgesics, Opioid; Ascorbic Acid; Dehydroascorbic Acid; Enkephalin, Methionine; Glutathione; Humans; Hydromorphone; Methadone; Morphine; Naloxone; Peptides; Receptors, Adrenergic, beta-2; Receptors, Dopamine D1; Receptors, Histamine H1; Receptors, Opioid; Receptors, Opioid, mu

1. The hydroxyl radical-mediated conversion of morphine to morphinone (MO) was examined as an alternative to the enzymic reaction. 2. Hydroxyl radicals were generated by autoxidation of ascorbate in the presence of iron and EDTA. This system oxidized morphine to MO which was identified by h.p.l.c. and t.l.c. The reaction was dependent on the concentration of added Fe2+ and required the addition of ascorbate when Fe3+ was used. 3. Catalase inhibited production of MO whereas superoxide dismutase (SOD) had no effect. Addition of a large amount of H2O2 to the system resulted in a significant decrease in production of MO. No MO production was initiated by H2O2 itself. The oxidation of morphine was inhibited by typical hydroxyl radical-scavenging agents. These results indicate that morphine undergoes oxidation to MO by hydroxyl radical.

Topics: Ascorbic Acid; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; Evaluation Studies as Topic; Free Radical Scavengers; Hydrogen Peroxide; Hydrogenation; Hydromorphone; Hydroxides; Hydroxyl Radical; Morphine; Oxidation-Reduction; Superoxides