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Background & Objective: Few studies concerning the effects of Opioid drugs on the function of immune system have been conducted and conflicting results have been reported. This study evaluates the in-vitro immune responses of drug abusers and investigates the pattern of production of IFN-? and IL-10, which represents the subsets of CD4+T-helper cells. Materials & Methods: Blood samples were taken from healthy drug addicted volunteers. Blood samples were also taken from healthy individuals with no history of drug abuse as control. Cell culture was performed in whole blood culture assay. Diluted blood samples were stimulated with phytohemagglutinin (PHA) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and the supernatants were collected to measure the Cytokine production. Results: The results demonstrated that a significant decrease in IFN-? production and increase in IL-10 production in Heroin addicts, whereas the production of these Cytokines in Opium addicts was not significant different from those in control group. Conclusion: The results indicated a significant decrease in mitogenic responsiveness of T-cells in Heroin addicts relative to control group, whereas mitogenic responsiveness of T-cells in Opium addicts was not significantly different from control group.

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Background and Objective: Breast cancer is one of the most common diseases worldwide and the second leading cause of death among women. Immune responses play a critical role in inhibiting the onset and progression of this disease. Given the important role of T lymphocytes in identifying and preventing the spread of breast cancer tumor cells, this study was conducted to simultaneously evaluate the regulatory molecules CXC chemokine receptor 3 (CXCR3), programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1), natural killer group 2 member D (NKG2D), and transforming growth factor beta 1 receptor II (TGF-βRII) on T lymphocytes of newly diagnosed breast cancer patients.
Methods: This case-control study was performed on 26 newly diagnosed breast cancer patients (mean age = 46.2±9.5 years) admitted to the Fifth Azar Educational-Therapeutic Center in Gorgan, Iran, and 12 non-breast cancer individuals (mean age = 42.9±9.9 years) selected from the staff and students of Golestan University of Medical Sciences during 2018-2019. First, blood sampling was performed and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were isolated. Then, using flow cytometry, different cell populations were evaluated for the expression of CXCR3, PD-1, NKG2D, and TGF-βRII. Plasma levels of interferon gamma (IFN-γ) and major histocompatibility complex class I chain related gene-A (MIC-A) were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).
Results: The mean percentage of T lymphocyte population in newly diagnosed breast cancer patients was significantly lower compared to healthy individuals (P<0.05). Also, the mean percentage of T lymphocytes expressing PD-1 and TGF-βRII was higher in the case group compared to the control group, while the expression of NKG2D and CXCR3 showed lower levels (P<0.05). The results of comparing plasma concentrations of IFN-γ and MIC-A indicated that the case group had higher levels of MIC-A than the control group (P<0.05); however, no statistically significant difference was found regarding IFN-γ.
Conclusion: It seems that the increased expression of TGF-βRII and PD-1 along with the decreased expression of NKG2D and CXCR3 and the reduced level of MIC-A in newly diagnosed breast cancer patients may be related to upregulation and potent suppression of T lymphocyte immunity and their dysfunction in breast cancer disease.