PARTICULAR INHIBITORY ACTION OF LOW
CONCENTRATIONS OF METHADONE
ON PERIPHERAL T LYMPHOCYTES
ANNE-MARIE CIOBANU1°, IONELA NEAGOE2, DANIELA
BACONI1, MARIA BÂRCĂ1, DAN BĂLĂLĂU1, ANDRA RODICA
BĂLĂNESCU1, GINA MANDA2*°
1University of Medicine and Pharmacy „Carol Davila”, Bucharest
2„Victor Babeş” National Institute of Pathology, Bucharest
*corresponding author: gina.manda@gmail.com
°both authors have equal contribution to this paper
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Abstract:

We investigated the in vitro effects of methadone on the activation/proliferation capacity of mononuclear cells from healthy subjects, heroin addicts on methadone substitution therapy and rheumatoid arthritis patients, in order to reveal new aspects regarding immune – nervous systems interaction.
Lymphocyte activation/proliferation was measured as uridine uptake by the
resting and polyclonally activated lymphocytes and constitutively proliferating cells with immune characteristics.
We showed that low concentrations of methadone (20ng/mL) exerted in vitro an immunomodulatory action on T lymphocytes from healthy subjects and from heroin addicts, whilst being immunosuppressive for T cells from rheumatoid arthritis patients.
A particular in vitro inhibitory action of 20ng/mL methadone on B lymphocytes was noticed only in methadone-treated addicts.
Results suggested that T lymphocytes are particularly sensitive to low
concentrations of methadone and that desensitization is not traceable. Results might be further translated to inflammatory diseases aiming to control pain and inflammation simultaneously.

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