Determination of the effects of long-term exposure to codeine and codeine salts on metallothionein synthesis and lipid peroxidation

Codeine is a type of alkaloid found in the capsules of Papaver Somniferum L. (poppy) with a rate of 3% after morphine. It is used as analgesic, antitussive and antidiarrheal in medicine. Code¬ine can be present as codeine pure, and as well as in the forms of codeine salts, which are obtained with the addition of phosphate and sulfate salts. Codeine phosphate or sulfate is more preferred for therapeutic purposes (in the form of oral tablets or parente¬ral injections), since it is readily soluble in water and is more readily absorbed by the body. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of long-term exposure to pure codeine and codeine salts (codeine phosphate and codeine sulfate) on metallothionein synthesis as a type stress protein and lipid peroxidation. For this purpose, the codeine and codeine salts were injected intraperitoneally (intraperitoneally) into mice at a dose of 10 mg/kg for the first 15 days and 20 mg/kg for the next 15 days. Tissue samples were taken from the mice at day 15 and day 30. The presence of MT protein and lipid peroxidation were determined by competetive ELISA and MDA assay, respectively. It has been fo¬und that chronic exposure to codeine and codeine salts did not cause significant changes in MT-1 and MT-2 levels in both liver and kidney. Codeine sulfate significantly increased MDA levels in the liver on both 15th and 30th days. It has also been observed that MDA levels were significantly increased at day 15 in all experimental groups except control group, but decreased on day 30.