interleukin-8 and Amphetamine-Related-Disorders

Recent studies show that proinflammatory cytokines might be related to the development of opioid dependence (physiological, psychological, or both). In a double-blind, randomly stratified clinical trial investigating whether add-on dextromethorphan (60-120 mg/day) attenuated inflammation and the combined use of opioids in heroin-dependent patients undergoing methadone maintenance treatment, we evaluated whether inflammation is related to the progression of opioid dependence. All participants (107 heroin-dependent patients and 84 nondependent healthy controls) were recruited from National Cheng Kung University Hospital. Their plasma cytokine levels were measured to evaluate the effect of add-on dextromethorphan. Plasma TNF-α and IL-8 levels were significantly higher in long-term heroin-dependent patients than in healthy controls (p < 0.001). Chronic heroin-use-induced TNF-α and IL-8 levels were significantly (p < 0.05) attenuated in patients treated for 12 weeks with add-on dextromethorphan. Moreover, both tolerance to methadone and the combined use of opioids were significantly (p < 0.05) attenuated in patients taking dextromethorphan. We conclude that dextromethorphan might be a feasible adjuvant therapeutic for attenuating inflammation and inhibiting methadone tolerance and combined opioid use in heroin-dependent patients.

Topics: Adult; Amphetamine; Amphetamine-Related Disorders; Analgesics, Opioid; Central Nervous System Stimulants; Dextromethorphan; Double-Blind Method; Female; Heroin Dependence; Humans; Inflammation; Interleukin-8; Male; Methadone; Middle Aged; Morphine; Opiate Substitution Treatment; Secondary Prevention; Substance Abuse Detection; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; Young Adult

Withdrawal symptoms are common during methamphetamine (METH) abstinence. This study aimed to explore the association between serum interleukins and withdrawal symptoms during METH abstinence.. This study recruited 120 METH users, and 94 of them completed the 2-week follow-up. Serum interleukin-1β, 6,8,10 were tested at admission. Withdrawal symptoms were assessed by the Methamphetamine Withdrawal Questionnaire (MAWQ).. Serum IL-8 levels were positively correlated with MAWQ scores at the 2-week endpoint (r = .257, p = .013). The variation of the MAWQ scores during the 2-week follow-up was negatively correlated with serum IL-8 levels at admission (r = -.249, p = .026). Serum IL-8 levels remained associated with the severity of METH withdrawal symptoms (β = .363, p = .023), after adjusting for potential confounders.. This study did not include normal controls. Most patients were male and cigarette smokers. Patients were only followed up for 2 weeks, and their toxicology data were not collected. Interleukins were only measured at admission, and were tested in serum, not in the cerebrospinal fluid.. Our study demonstrated that higher serum IL-8 levels may predict more severe withdrawal symptoms at 2 weeks after METH abstinence.

Topics: Adult; Amphetamine-Related Disorders; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Humans; Interleukin-8; Male; Methamphetamine; Prospective Studies; Substance Withdrawal Syndrome; Surveys and Questionnaires; Young Adult