期刊
FRONTIERS IN MEDICINE
卷 8, 期 -, 页码 -出版社
FRONTIERS MEDIA SA
DOI: 10.3389/fmed.2021.641163
关键词
endorphin; dynorphin; enkephalin; rifampicin; bezafibrate; cholestasis; liver; therapy
资金
- German Research Council (DFG) [KR3618/3-1, FOR2690]
- Interdisciplinary Center for Clinical Research (IZKF) Erlangen
- German Society for Internal Medicine (DGIM) by the advanced clinician scientist program
- IZKF Erlangen
This study investigated the levels of important endogenous opioids in patients with immune-mediated hepatobiliary disorders and found that they do not correlate with itch intensity or differentiate pruritic from non-pruritic patients. This suggests that endogenous opioids may modulate signaling pathways involved in hepatic pruritus, but are unlikely to represent the major pruritogens in liver disease.
Background: Chronic pruritus affects up to 70% of patients with immune-mediated hepatobiliary disorders. Antagonists of the mu-opioid receptor (MOR) and agonists of the kappa-opioid receptor (KOR) are used to treat hepatic itch, albeit with limited success. An imbalance between ligands of MOR and KOR receptors has recently been suggested as a potential mechanism of hepatic pruritus. In this study, we therefore investigated systemic levels of important endogenous opioids such as beta-endorphin, dynorphin A, Leu- and Met-enkephalin in plasma of a large cohort of well-characterized patients with immune-mediated cholestatic disorders, including patients with liver cirrhosis, and during effective anti-pruritic therapy. Methods: Plasma samples and clinical data were prospectively collected from well-characterized patients with primary/secondary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC/SSC), primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) and overlap syndromes suffering from pruritus (n = 29) and age-, gender- and disease-matched controls without pruritus (n = 27) as well as healthy controls (n = 20). General laboratory testing for hepatobiliary and renal function was performed. Levels of beta-endorphin, dynorphin A, Leu- and Met-enkephalin were quantified in plasma by ELISA. Intensity of pruritus over the last week was evaluated using a visual analog scale (VAS, 0-10). Results: PBC and PSC patients with or without pruritus did neither differ in disease entity, disease stage, nor in the presence of cirrhosis. While both dynorphin A and beta-endorphin concentrations were lower in pruritic patients compared to those without pruritus and healthy controls, the MOR/KOR ligand ratio was unaltered. No significant differences were observed for Leu- and Met-enkephalin concentrations. Opioid levels correlated with neither itch intensity nor stage of disease. Cirrhotic patients displayed higher concentrations of MOR agonist Leu-enkephalin and KOR agonist dynorphin A. Endogenous opioid levels remained largely unchanged after successful treatment with the potent anti-pruritic drugs rifampicin and bezafibrate. Conclusions: Endogenous opioid levels and the MOR/KOR ligand ratio neither correlate with itch intensity nor differentiate pruritic from non-pruritic patients with immune-mediated liver diseases. Thus, endogenous opioids may modulate signaling pathways involved in hepatic pruritus, but are unlikely to represent the major pruritogens in liver disease.
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