Morphine receptors in rat liver mitochondrial membranes

: In vitro essays carried out on rat liver mitochondria show that morphine enhances fluorescence of membrane-bound 1-anilinonaphtalene-8-sulphonate. These and our previous reports about morphine action on oxidative phosphorylation in rat liver mitochondria demonstrate that the neurotropic drug has also a more general effect on non-nervous cells, masked till now by the more impressive effect on the nervous system. Our results may open a way to explain how injecting opiates continuously and directly in the cerebrospinal fluid or producing endorphins directly at the cerebrospinal level by acupuncture prevent addiction, constipation and other side-effects.