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Objective
Opioid maintenance therapy (OMT), particularly using methadone, is the primary treatment option for heroin addiction. Previous studies using blood samples from people use use heroin and OMT patients have shown immunomodulatory effects of heroin and methadone on T cell function. However, various additional factors beyond heroin and methadone affect these results. Therefore, we here investigated the direct effects of heroin and methadone on purified human T cells in vitro.
Findings/Key points
Our results reveal that both heroin and methadone directly suppress T cell activation and proliferation. Strikingly, this inhibitory effect was markedly stronger in the presence of methadone, correlating with a decrease in secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines. While heroin did not interfere with the in vitro differentiation and expansion of regulatory T cells (Tregs), methadone significantly impaired the proliferation of Tregs. Overall, our findings suggest a direct inhibitory impact of both opioids on effector T cell function in vitro, with methadone additionally interfering with Treg induction and expansion in contrast to heroin.
