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Opium Poppy

Opium Poppy. Opium Poppy: Papaver somniferum. Member of the Papaveraceae, poppy family Large showy annual with conspicuous flowers (white, pink, red, purple) Fruit is a capsule that produces latex with several potent alkaloids

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Opium Poppy

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  1. Opium Poppy

  2. Opium Poppy: Papaver somniferum • Member of the Papaveraceae, poppy family • Large showy annual with conspicuous flowers (white, pink, red, purple) • Fruit is a capsule that produces latex with several potent alkaloids • Latex is collected from cut capsules (latex oozes out and dries – dried latex scraped off) - dried latex called opium

  3. Fresh capsule of opium poppy Cut capsule showing latex exuding from cut

  4. Opium Poppy • Native to the Mediterranean area • Oldest evidence of poppy use was existence of a poppy capsule found with religious artifacts from a cave in Spain that are dated 7500 years old • Evidence of spread in Europe from 3000 to 5000 years ago • Reasons for use at these sites unknown

  5. Ancient medical use • Poppy was revered by several ancient societies for its analgesic properties and its ability to induce sleep • Opium latex has a long history of use for pain relieve and inducing sleep among Babylonia, Egyptian, Greek, and Roman civilizations • Opium eaten, drunk, and smoked • Most common method was to dissolve opium in alcohol – opium wine

  6. Mediterranean societies • Writings of Hippocrates, Theophrastus, Dioscorides, and Galen show evidence of the widespread use of opium • In eastern Mediterranean it seems that poppy also became valued for its narcotic use • Ancient goddess of Crete is depicted wearing a crown with 3 poppy capsules

  7. Terra cotta head from Knossos bearing a corona of poppy capsules

  8. Opium Alkaloids • Many alkaloids have been identified in opium latex (opiates) - maybe as many as 50 • Morphine and codeine most important • Morphine first alkaloid identified from any plant in 1806 and the pain relieving properties soon recognized • Morphine (like raw opium) is strongly addictive and because of this its general medical use declined in 20th century • Still drug of choice for cases of severe pain

  9. Morphine • Morphine affects the central nervous system but also induces drowsiness and can depress respiration - overdose can cause death through respiratory failure • Cause has high physical dependency • Has relatively low oral activity • Became drug of choice to treat war injuries during Civil War - created many addicts

  10. Codeine • Codeine most widely used opiate • Only 1/5 as strong as morphine and still addictive • Effective in oral medication and often used in combination with non-opiate compounds • Codeine is especially effective in cough syrups because it suppresses the coughing reflex

  11. Heroin • In 1898, Bayer Pharmaceuticals introduced heroin which they thought was a non-addictive opiate and more effective than morphine and codeine • Heroin is a semi-synthetic derivative of morphine - diacetyl morphine • Widely available in over the counter tonics and cough syrups from 1898 to 1914 - mail order catalogs, etc

  12. Heroin • Within a few years over 1 million people addicted to heroin in US alone • Soon realized that it was actually more addictive than morphine - actually six times more addictive • In US use of heroin is illegal placed under Harrison Act of 1914 • Heroin still used medicinally in other countries • Heroin addiction a major problem worldwide

  13. Isoquinoline alkaloids

  14. Opiates

  15. Mode of action • Opiates bind to opiate receptors in membrane of neurons of the brain and spinal column (ID’d in 1970s) • The natural ligands that normally bind to these receptors are endorphins and enkephalins (small peptides) • These peptides are released at synapses on neurons involved in transmitting pain signals to the brain

  16. Opiate receptors • When enkephalins bind to the opiate receptors they inhibit neurons from transmitting pain signal - pain signal does not reach brain • Inhibit release of neurotransmitter “Substance P” • Substance P used by the sensory neurons involved in the perception of chronic and/or intense pain

  17. Opiate receptors • Peptides and receptors form a complex neurotransmitter system that plays a major role in controlling pain, euphoria, and motivation • Also involved in other biological events - stress responses, immune regulation, respiration, endocrine responses • Different classes of opiate receptors

  18. Opiate receptors • Three (or 4) classes of opiate receptors - with subtypes of each • Opioids exert their effects by activating one or more of these receptors • Pain relief involves activation of one type receptors in the brain and another in the spinal cord • Other receptors are are involved in respiratory depression and euphoria

  19. Opiate receptors • m (mu) receptors - analgesia, euphoria • k (kappa) receptors - sedation, spinal cord analgesia • d (delta) receptors - Antitussive (coughing) properties, emesis (vomiting), and anticholinergic (constipation) • sigma (?) receptors cardiac stimulation

  20. Opiates • Morphine and the other opiates bind these same receptors • Morphine especially binds to m receptors • Explains why opiates are excellent pain killers • However, they are also highly addictive

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