Majallah-i Dānishgāh-i ̒Ulūm-i Pizishkī-i Qum (Jun 2008)
Detection and Quantization of the Expression of Two mu-Opioid Receptor Splice Variants mRNA (hMOR-1A and hMOR-1O) in Peripheral Blood Lymphocytes of Long-Term Abstinent Former Opioid Addicts
Abstract
Background and Objectives The mu-Opioid receptor (MOR) exerts a critical role on effects of opiodis. The objective of this study is to find a peripheral bio-marker in addiction studies through quantization of the expression of two MOR splice variants mRNA (hMOR-1A and hMOR-1O) in peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs) of long-term abstinent former opioids addicts. Methods In this case-control study, case and control people were male and divided in two groups: people who gave up addiction to opioids (case) and healthy individuals without history of addiction (control). The mRNA expression in PBLs of participants was detected and measured by real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) using SYBR Green Dye. Results The hMOR-1A mRNA expression in PBLs of abstinent group was significantly reduced and reached to 0.33 of the control group (p<0.001). Similar results were obtained for the other splice variant with the mRNA expression of hMOR-1O in PBLs of abstinent group reaching to 0.38 of that of the control group (p < 0.001). Conclusion mRNA expression deficiency of two mu-opioid receptor splice variants, hMOR-1A and nMOR-1O, seams to be a risk factor making individuals vulnerable to drug addiction. Based on this analysis measuring the amount of mRNA expression of these two splice variants in PBLs can serve as a peripheral bio-marker for detecting people at risk.
