Opiates sources

P-Endorphin. A peptide corresponding to the 31 C-terminal amino acids of P-LPH was first discovered in camel pituitary tissue (10). This substance is P-endorphin, which exerts a potent analgesic effect by binding to cell surface receptors in the central nervous system. The sequence of P-endorphin is well conserved across species for the first 25 N-terminal amino acids. Opiates derived from plant sources, eg, heroin, morphine, opium, etc, exert their actions by interacting with the P-endorphin receptor. On a molar basis, this peptide has approximately five times the potency of morphine. Both P-endorphin and ACTH ate cosecreted from the pituitary gland. Whereas the physiologic importance of P-endorphin release into the systemic circulation is not certain, this molecule clearly has been shown to be an important neurotransmitter within the central nervous system. Endorphin has been invaluable as a research tool, but has not been clinically useful due to the avadabihty of plant-derived opiates. 

The basis for this technique lies in the competition between the test antigen and a labelled antigen for the available binding sites on a fixed amount of antibody. While the binding sites are traditionally associated with an antibody, any source of specific reversible binding sites may be used to create an assay in this format. Examples of such are specific transport proteins such as thyroxine-binding globulin and certain cellular receptors such as opiate or benzodiazepine receptors. Under these circumstances the equilibrium mixture may be represented thus ... 

Opiate abuse and dependence can exact a tremendous social toll. Abusers have difficulty holding jobs, are often divorced, and sometimes resort to crime to obtain either the drug or the money to buy it. Opiate abuse also has severe health consequences. Sharing needles is a common source of transmitting HIV, hepatitis, and other infectious diseases. In addition, opiate abusers are prone to accidents and are often victims of crime. 

Historically, plant-based natural products have been a source of useful drugs. The analgesic opiates come from the poppy plant. Digitalis for congestive heart failure was first isolated from the foxglove plant. Various antibiotics (penicillin) and anticancer agents (taxol) are derived from natural product sources. There are numerous other examples. 

It is centrally acting synthetic analgesic compound that is not derived from natural sources nor is chemically related to opiates. It acts via opioid receptors in CNS to produce analgesia and has no abuse potential. It also inhibits the reuptake of noradrenaline and serotonin. 

Business Wire. Ten Things You and Your Family Should Know about the Dangers of Prescription Painkillers, According to the Waismann Foundation. Available online. URL http //www.opiates.com/media/ prescription-painkiller-dangers.html. Posted September 7, 2004. This document aims to help parents become aware of the risks of this major source of prescription drug abuse. It encourages parents to talk with children about the risks and to look for signs of abuse. 

Under these conditions, with a surge in supply and stable demand, a price decline would be expected near the source, but opiate prices are not easy to predict,... 

Virtually all published sources identify Hong Kong as the world s center for transshipment of opiates from the Far East and even as the center for heroin refining. For the most part, these admissions —... 

When the Communists came into power in 1949 in China, they imposed the death penalty on anyone producing or consuming opiates. Users were sentenced to long terms, which included building a road toward Siberia. This was, in effect, a death penalty. Their success and continuing interest in purging addiction from their society has removed China as a major source of narcotics."... 

Morphinans bearing a 6-oxygen function have proved to be a valuable source of precursors for the synthesis of natural opiates/53,55 58 Compounds such as dihydrothebainone (64, R = OMe R = H) may be derived from thebaine, whereas others are totally synthetic/8 ... 

The role of alkaloids as taxonomic markers, particularly in the case of thebaine-containing species of Papaver bracteatum, has been critically reviewed.Another survey deals with new plant sources of opiates and the morphological and chemical... 

Opium poppy Papaver somniferum L., Papaveraceae) is one of the most important medicinal plants and has been cultivated since early centuries. Opium, the dried cytoplasm of a specialized internal secretory system called the laticifer, is normally collected from the unripe capsule. It is the source for the commercial production of medicinally important alkaloids, morphine, codeine, thebaine, noscapine and papaverine [130, 131], Fig. (61). Morphine, which has strong addictive property, is still the most effective analgesic for the treatment of mortal cancer patients in modem medicine. Codeine is commonly used as an antitussive. However, field cultivation of this plant has been limited since 1953 by the United Nations Opium Conference Protocol to prevent narcotic crimes. Therefore, establishing tissue culture technique for the production of morphinan alkaloids seems to be desirable not only for medicinal purpose but also for decreasing abuse of opiates. 

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