Background: Opioid agonists can inhibit cell proliferation in various neural tumor cell lines, including rat gliomas. Because opioid antimitogenic effects are mediated by opioid receptors, it was of interest to the authors to determine opioid receptor levels in human brain tumors.
Methods: Specimens obtained at craniotomy from 30 patients with glioma and nonneoplastic brain disorders were evaluated for their kappa-opioid receptor binding. Kd and Bmax values were estimated from homologous competition binding curves with the kappa1-selective radioligand [3H]U69,593.
Results: Receptor binding density was greatest in nonneoplastic brain tissue, less in Grade 2 and 3 astrocytoma, and least in glioblastoma multiforme.
Conclusions: These results suggest that opioid receptor-based stratification of grade may have clinical utility in distinguishing glioblastoma multiforme from lower grade astrocytomas, and thereby may facilitate diagnosis and treatment.