American scientists have found that narcotic analgesic morphine is able to block the formation of new blood vessels (angiogenesis) in malignant tumors, thereby slowing their growth, reports EurekAlert!.

Researchers from the University of Minnesota studied the effects of analgesic doses of morphine, used in oncology, on a mouse model of lung cancer.

They found that with chronic administration of the drug, the level of angiogenesis in the tumor decreases, and this decrease depends on the opioid receptors. This effect of morphine was realized due to suppression of signals about a low concentration of oxygen in the lung tissue, under the influence of which vascular growth factors are developed.

According to the head of the study Sabita Roy (colleagues), the results indicate that morphine can be used in oncology, not only as an analgesic, but also as an antitumor drug.

Their conclusions are directly opposite to the results of a study conducted at the University of Chicago, which showed that morphine can accelerate the growth of cancer cells, suppress antitumor immunity, promote the growth of tumor-feeding vessels and reduce their barrier function, which contributes to metastatic cancer.

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