Opiates have a complex effect on the cardiovascular system. They work on the regulatory centers in the brain stem as well as on such peripheral elements as the heart muscle and the blood vessels.
Part of the effects are mediated by opiate receptors while others act directly on membranal elements. The final effect of the opiates may either be excitatory or inhibitory depending on the type of opiate, the dosage and the condition of the organism. The necessary use of opiates as pain suppressers is linked with accompanying side-effects on the cardiovascular system. Sickness is liable to prevent prolonged use opiates for treating chronic pain. On the other hand, in open heart surgery, it is recommended to use opiates as an anesthesia, mainly because of their hemodynamic characteristics.
Increased knowledge of the action of opiates both their harmful as well as their therapeutic effects will enable enlightened use of these substances for clinical use and for developing more specific opiates.
We are investigating the non-receptor effect of opiates on the heart muscle and a number of molecular systems have been characterized. It is still unclear how the opiates acts on receptors in the heart. In our current research, we are seeking to characterize opiates biochemically, to determine the pharmacological actions of opiates upon the cells of the heart muscle and to determine the molecular elements that participate in the opiate effect.
