Khan Akbar
Medical Director, Medicor Cancer Centres Inc., 4576 Yonge St., Suite 301 Toronto, ON M2N 6N4, Canada; Tel: 416-227-0037; e-mail:
Oral Health Dent Manag. 2014 Sep;13(3):721-4.
Naltrexone (ReVia®) is a long-acting oral pure opiate antagonist which is approved for the treatment of alcohol addiction as a 50mg per day tablet. The mechanism of action is complete opiate blockade, which removes the pleasure sensation derived from drinking alcohol (created by endorphins). Low Dose Naltrexone ("LDN") in the range of 3-4.5 mg per day has been shown to have the opposite effect - brief opiate receptor blockade with resulting upregulation of endogenous opiate production. Through the work of Bihari and Zagon, it has been determined that the level of the endogenous opiate methionine-enkephalin is increased by LDN. Met-enkephalin is involved in regulating cell proliferation and can inhibit cancer cell growth in multiple cell lines. Increased met-enkepahlin levels created by LDN thus have the potential to inhibit cancer growth in humans. Phase II human trials of met-enkephalin, case reports published by Berkson and Rubin, and the clinical experience of Bihari confirmed the potential role of LDN in treating pancreatic and other cancers. However, large scale trials are lacking and are unlikely to be funded given the current non-proprietary status of naltrexone. A case report is presented of successful treatment of adenoid cystic carcinoma as further evidence of LDN's potential as a unique non-toxic cancer therapy.
纳曲酮（商品名：ReVia®）是一种长效口服纯阿片类拮抗剂，被批准用于治疗酒精成瘾，剂型为每日50毫克片剂。其作用机制是完全阻断阿片类物质，从而消除饮酒带来的愉悦感（由内啡肽产生）。已证明，每天服用3 - 4.5毫克的低剂量纳曲酮（“LDN”）具有相反的效果——短暂阻断阿片受体，从而上调内源性阿片类物质的产生。通过比哈里（Bihari）和扎贡（Zagon）的研究，已确定LDN可提高内源性阿片类物质甲硫氨酸脑啡肽的水平。甲硫氨酸脑啡肽参与调节细胞增殖，并可抑制多种细胞系中的癌细胞生长。因此，LDN所导致的甲硫氨酸脑啡肽水平升高有可能抑制人类癌症的生长。甲硫氨酸脑啡肽的二期人体试验、伯克森（Berkson）和鲁宾（Rubin）发表的病例报告以及比哈里的临床经验证实了LDN在治疗胰腺癌和其他癌症方面的潜在作用。然而，目前缺乏大规模试验，鉴于纳曲酮目前的非专利状态，也不太可能获得资金支持。本文报告了一例腺样囊性癌成功治疗的病例，作为LDN作为一种独特的无毒癌症治疗方法具有潜力的进一步证据。
