PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Jia Cui
AU  - Yunfeng Wang
AU  - Qiping Dong
AU  - Shimin Wu
AU  - Xianzhong Xiao
AU  - Jianying Hu
AU  - Zhen Chai
AU  - Yan Zhang
TI  - Morphine Protects against Intracellular Amyloid Toxicity by Inducing Estradiol Release and Upregulation of Hsp70
AID  - 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3915-11.2011
DP  - 2011 Nov 09
TA  - The Journal of Neuroscience
PG  - 16227--16240
VI  - 31
IP  - 45
4099  - http://www.jneurosci.org/content/31/45/16227.short
4100  - http://www.jneurosci.org/content/31/45/16227.full
SO  - J. Neurosci.2011 Nov 09; 31
AB  - Certain experimental models support morphine can play a beneficial role against damage in the neuronal system. In this study, we find morphine as well as endomorphin-1 and endomorphin-2 can protect against intracellular amyloid β (iAβ) toxicity in human and rat primary neuronal cultures and in rat brains in vivo. Morphine reverses the electrophysiological changes induced by iAβ, including current density, resting membrane potential and capacitance. Also morphine improves the spatial memory performance in rats infected by iAβ packaged virus and in APP/PS1 mice in Morris water maze tests. Morphine protection is mediated through inducing estradiol release in hippocampal neurons measured by ELISA and liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry, possibly by increasing P450 cytochrome aromatase activity. Released estradiol induces upregulation of heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70). Hsp70 protects against intracellular amyloid toxicity by rescuing proteasomal activity which is impaired by iAβ. This is the first time, to our knowledge, that induction of estradiol release in hippocampal neurons by morphine is reported. Our data may contribute to both Alzheimer's disease therapy and pain clinics where morphine is widely used.