CHRONIC EXPOSURE TO MORPHINE, BUT NOT ETHANOL, ATTENUATES THE EXPRESSION OF INTERLEUKIN-1-BETA CONVERTING-ENZYME IN RAT SPLEEN

IL-1 beta converting enzyme (ICE), a proteolytic enzyme that converts the inactive precursor of interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta) to its mature active form, has been abundantly detected in the IL-1 beta producing cells in the spleen. Since IL-1 beta is a potent neuro-endocrine-immun o modulator, alterations in the production of IL-1 beta by an exogenou s factor, such as morphine or ethanol, may have deleterious effects on the system as a whole. In this study, we examined the expression of I CE in the spleens of rats given chronic treatment with morphine versus ethanol using reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR ). The expression of ICE in the spleen of rats given chronic morphine was clearly less than that of the animals given placebo, however, it w as similar for both rats on ethanol and control diets. These data sugg est that chronic use of morphine, but not ethanol, attenuates the expr ession of ICE in the spleen. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science B.V.