Numerical density of δ-opioid receptor expressing neurons in the frontal cortex of drug-related fatalities

• Published in: Forensic science international Vol. 113; no. 1; pp. 423 - 433
• Main Authors: Schmidt, P, Schmolke, C, Mußhoff, F, Menzen, M, Prohaska, C, Madea, B
• Format: Journal Article Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ireland Ltd 11-09-2000; Elsevier; Elsevier Limited
• Subjects: Addicts; Adolescent; Adult; Antibodies; Autopsies; Autopsy - methods; Biological and medical sciences; Case-Control Studies; Cause of Death; Cell Count; Cell culture; Cerebral cortex; Child; Chromatography; Chronic Disease; Cortex (frontal); Density; Drug abuse; Drug addictions; Drug-related fatalities of morphine addicts; Fatalities; Female; Frontal Lobe - cytology; Heroin; Human cerebral cortex; Humans; Immunoenzyme Techniques; Immunohistochemistry; Immunoreactivity; Male; Mass spectrometry; Medical sciences; Monoclonal antibodies; Morphine; Morphine Dependence - blood; Morphine Dependence - pathology; Mortality; Narcotics; Neocortex; Neurons; Neurons - chemistry; Neurons - cytology; Opioid receptors; Postmortem Changes; Pyramidal cells; Receptor density; Receptors; Receptors, Opioid, delta - analysis; Scientific imaging; Statistical analysis; Substance Abuse Detection - methods; Toxicology; δ-Opioid receptor; Germany; Immunohistochemistry; Human cerebral cortex; Drug-related fatalities of morphine addicts; δ-Opioid receptor; Human; Drug addiction; Legal medicine; Toxicity; Postmortem; Central nervous system; Morphine; Opiates; Frontal cortex; Narcotic analgesic; δ Opioid receptor; Density; Neuron; Death; Drug of abuse; Morphometry; Brain (vertebrata)
• ISSN: 0379-0738; 1872-6283
• DOI: 10.1016/S0379-0738(00)00203-6

In animal experiment and in cell culture, chronic morphine treatment has been followed by a reduction as well as an increase of the δ-opioid receptor (OR) number. The present postmortem morphometric study of morphine-related fatalities of drug addicts (
n=12, 22–35 years old, with blood unconjugated morphine levels from 27.1 to 407 ng/ml, m.v. 176.9 ng/ml) versus a non-addicted control group (
n=13, 10–44 years old) is intended to examine whether chronic opiate exposure also affects the numerical density of δOR expressing neurons in the human neocortex (area 10 according to Brodmann (Vergleichende Lokalisationslehre der Großhirnrinde (1909) Johann Ambrosius Barth, Leipzig)). For the immunohistochemical procedure, vibratome sections (100 μm) were incubated with a monoclonal antibody against the δOR diluted 1:100, and immunoreactive sites were visualized using an immunoperoxidase protocol. The numerical densities of OR expressing and Nissl-stained neurons were assessed morphometrically (camera lucida drawings). In both collectives, the anti δOR immunoreactivity was predominantly localized in pyramidal neurons of layers (L) II/III and V as well as in round and ovoid neurons of L VI. In the drug-related fatalities, the density of neurons expressing δOR protein amounted for 2515±240/mm
3, in the control group for 2616±204/mm
3, thus displaying no statistically significant difference. These findings go along with the binding behavior of opioid ligands in postmortem brains of heroin addicts revealing similar receptor densities and affinities in the control subjects and addicts.