Background: Opiate abuse has been critically increased in the world, especially Iran. Owing to association of opiate use with multiple human cancers and neurological disorders, seeking for genetic epigenetic effects opium can pave way early diagnosis major health defects addicted users. Accordingly, present study aimed determine methylation status promoter two genes, which are actively involved...

BACKGROUND A comparison of oral/inhaled opium addicts with a healthy control group was investigated. Using the graphite furnace atomic absorption spectroscopy (GF-AAS) followed by chemometric analysis, sub-to-low µg L-1 concentrations of blood lead level (BLL) was detected in both the addict and the control groups. MATERIALS AND METHODS In this study, BLL of 78 subjects (Iranian volunteers) i...

Drugs, opium in particular, have undergone a historical metamorphosis in the past few years. What once passed for the "history of opium" were some scattered references to Homer and nepenthe, Shakespeare and "drowsy mandragora", with the Chinese opium wars thrown in for good measure. There were no studies of drug use and the development of control policy in either Britain or the USA. Issues such...

BACKGROUND Apoptosis is a physiological mechanism of cell death and it can be triggered by a variety of internal and external stimuli. It has been indicated that some opium derivatives develop cell apoptosis. OBJECTIVES The aim of this investigation was to evaluate the effect of opium addiction on ovary cell apoptosis in diabetic and non-diabetic Wistar rats. MATERIALS AND METHODS This expe...

BACKGROUND The rate of cardiovascular diseases in developing countries is approximately 60% and it is still has an increasing trend. The clinical effectiveness of aspirin in preventing cardiovascular events has been well proven. Although aspirin is an effective and inexpensive drug, its consumption is not equally beneficial for all patients. Many factors can be affective on the efficacy of anti...

ABSTRACT The fungus Pleospora papaveracea and Nep1, a phytotoxic protein from Fusarium oxysporum, were evaluated for their biocontrol potential on opium poppy (Papaver somniferum). Four treatments consisting of a control, P. papaveracea conidia, Nep1 (5 mug/ml), and P. papaveracea conidia plus Nep1 (5 mug/ml) were used in detached-leaf and whole-plant studies. Conidia of P. papaveracea remained...

The effect of the endogenous opioid system as analgesics was not identified until the early 1970’s [1]. Since the 3rd century BC, however, it has been known that opium as the main compound of opiates, harvested from the juice of the opium poppy was of use in managing pain, as well being addictive [1,2]. The introduction in 1680 of Sydenham’s Laudanum, a mixture of opium with sherry wine and her...

Opium poppy (Papaver somniferum) produces a diverse array of bioactive benzylisoquinoline alkaloids, including the narcotic analgesic morphine and the antimicrobial agent sanguinarine. In contrast to the plant, cell cultures of opium poppy do not accumulate alkaloids constitutively but produce sanguinarine in response to treatment with certain fungal-derived elicitors. The induction of sanguina...