摘要
Background Mu opioid receptor plays an important role in many physiological functions. Fentanyl is a widely used opioid receptor agonist for analgesia. This study was conducted to test the role of mu-opioid receptor on insulin release by determining whether fentanyl affected insulin release from freshly isolated rat pancreatic islets and if small interfering RNAs （siRNA） targeting mu-opioid receptor in the islets could knock down mu-opioid receptor expression.Methods Islets were isolated from ripe SD rats＇ pancreas by common bile duct intraductal collagenase V digestion and purified by discontinuous Ficoll density gradient centrifugation. The siRNA knock-down of mu-opioid receptor mRNA and protein in islet cells was analyzed by semi-quantitative real time-PCR and Western blotting. After siRNA-transfection for 48 hours, the islets were co-cultured with fentanyl as follows： 0 ng/ml, 3 ng/ml and 30 ng/ml for 48 hours. Then glucose-evoked insulin release was performed. As a control, the insulin release was also analyzed in islets without siRNA-trasfection after being co-cultured with fentanyl for 48 hours.Results After 48 hours of transfections, specific siRNA targeting of mu-opioid receptors produced significant reduction of mu-opioid receptor mRNA and protein （P ＜0.01）. Fentanyl significantly inhibited glucose-evoked insulin release in islets in a concentration dependent manner （P ＜0.01）. But after siRNA-transfection for 48 hours, the inhibition on glucose-evoked insulin reiease was reversed （P ＜0.01）.Conclusions RNA interference specifically reduces mu-opioid receptor mRNA and protein expression, leading to reversal of the fentanyl-induced inhibition on glucose-evoked insulin release of rat islets. The activation of opioid receptor induced by fentanyl functions to inhibit insulin release. The use of RNAi presents a promising tool for future research in diabetic mechanisms and a novel therapy for diabetes.
Background Mu opioid receptor plays an important role in many physiological functions. Fentanyl is a widely used opioid receptor agonist for analgesia. This study was conducted to test the role of mu-opioid receptor on insulin release by determining whether fentanyl affected insulin release from freshly isolated rat pancreatic islets and if small interfering RNAs （siRNA） targeting mu-opioid receptor in the islets could knock down mu-opioid receptor expression.Methods Islets were isolated from ripe SD rats＇ pancreas by common bile duct intraductal collagenase V digestion and purified by discontinuous Ficoll density gradient centrifugation. The siRNA knock-down of mu-opioid receptor mRNA and protein in islet cells was analyzed by semi-quantitative real time-PCR and Western blotting. After siRNA-transfection for 48 hours, the islets were co-cultured with fentanyl as follows： 0 ng/ml, 3 ng/ml and 30 ng/ml for 48 hours. Then glucose-evoked insulin release was performed. As a control, the insulin release was also analyzed in islets without siRNA-trasfection after being co-cultured with fentanyl for 48 hours.Results After 48 hours of transfections, specific siRNA targeting of mu-opioid receptors produced significant reduction of mu-opioid receptor mRNA and protein （P ＜0.01）. Fentanyl significantly inhibited glucose-evoked insulin release in islets in a concentration dependent manner （P ＜0.01）. But after siRNA-transfection for 48 hours, the inhibition on glucose-evoked insulin reiease was reversed （P ＜0.01）.Conclusions RNA interference specifically reduces mu-opioid receptor mRNA and protein expression, leading to reversal of the fentanyl-induced inhibition on glucose-evoked insulin release of rat islets. The activation of opioid receptor induced by fentanyl functions to inhibit insulin release. The use of RNAi presents a promising tool for future research in diabetic mechanisms and a novel therapy for diabetes.
