Title:

Possible Mechanism of Tolerance to Narcotic Drugs

Creator:

Axelrod, Julius, 1912-2004

Date:

10 August 1956

Description:

While working on the metabolism of narcotic drugs, Axelrod observed that repeated administration of drugs produced tolerance to the drugs, but also reduced the body's ability to demethylate them enzymatically. In this article, he proposed a mechanism for tolerance to narcotic drugs. According to Axelrod, his hypothesis--that the continuous interaction of narcotic drugs with the demethylating enzymes deactivated the enzymes and possibly even the receptors of narcotic drugs, thus decreasing the subject's response to narcotic drugs--stimulated considerable criticism from some of his colleagues.

Periodical:

Science

Publisher:

American Association for the Advancement of Science

Location:

Box: 22. Folder: 9

Rights:

Reproduced with permission from the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Readers may view, browse, and/or download this material for temporary copying purposes only, provided these uses are for noncommercial personal purposes. Except as provided by law, this material may not be further reproduced, distributed, transmitted, modified, adapted, performed, displayed, published, or sold in whole or in part, without prior written permission from AAAS. and http://www.sciencemag.org/

Genre:

Articles

Subject:

Drug Tolerance and Narcotics

Format:

Text

Extent:

2 pages

Language:

English

Legacy Source Citation:

Periodical. Axelrod, Julius. "Possible Mechanism of Tolerance to Narcotic Drugs." Science 124, (10 August 1956): 263-264. Article. 2 Images.. Science

Legacy ID:

HHAAAJ

NLM ID:

101584577X10

Profiles Collection:

The Julius Axelrod Papers

Shareable Link:

https://profiles.nlm.nih.gov/101584577X10

Story Section:

Work on the Sympathomimetic Amines, 1946-1958