Broccoli Reduces the Development of Pharmacological Tolerance to Morphine

Authors

Atharv Ashwin Battu, Virginia Commonwealth University

Original Publication Date

2025

Document Type

Presentation

Comments

11th Annual VCU 3MT® Competition, held on October 3, 2025.

Abstract

Opioid tolerance—a condition where painkillers like morphine lose effectiveness with repeated use—poses a major public health challenge, contributing to tens of thousands of overdose deaths each year. Atharv Ashwin Battu’s research investigates whether a natural compound found in broccoli, sulforaphane, can slow the development of morphine tolerance. Chronic morphine use is known to damage the gut lining, leading to inflammation that may drive tolerance. Using an animal model and a behavioral pain test called the tail immersion assay, Battu found that animals treated with both morphine and broccoli seed extract maintained longer-lasting pain relief compared to those given morphine alone. These results suggest that sulforaphane’s anti-inflammatory properties can help preserve morphine’s effectiveness, reducing the need for higher doses and lowering the risk of dangerous side effects. Battu’s findings point to a simple yet powerful possibility: a dietary compound like broccoli could enhance pain management and improve quality of life for millions living with chronic pain.

Transcription

Our next contestant is Atharv Ashwin Battu, Broccoli Reduces the Development of Pharmacological Tolerance to Morphine. They are in the School of Medicine and their advisor is Dr. Hamid Akbarali. And you have just had your surgery. You are in excruciating pain. The doctor gives you morphine. It's an awkward place here and it's very important. However, after a couple of days, doses of morphine intake, repeated use, the same dose doesn't help as much. The doctor has to give you higher doses of morphine, but with those doses of morphine come serious side effects. Constipation, breathing difficulties, and even long-term reliance on medication. This phenomenon is known as tolerance, wherein the body adapts to the drugs used over time, diminishing its effectiveness. In the United States, this is a serious health concern. In 2023, approximately 100,000 people died due to drug overdoses and 80,000 of those deaths involved opioid painkillers. So what's really happening inside the body? Well, scientists don't clearly know the exact mechanism behind opioid tolerance. Recent findings suggest that chronic morphine can weaken the lining of the gut, creating tiny leaks. These tiny leaks allow harmful substances to get into the body causing inflammation and this inflammation plays a vital role in tolerance my project explores whether the naturally occurring compound found in broccoli known as sulforaphane can protect the gut and reduce morphine tolerance sulforaphane is known to have anti-inflammatory properties and so we tested this hypothesis using an animal model and a behavioral experiment known as tail immersion assay in this test the tail of the animal is gently immersed in warm water which causes pain sensation to the animal and we record how long the animal takes to withdraw from the painful stimuli. The longer the delay, the stronger the pain release. Our findings indicate that when animals were administered morphine alone, developed tolerance, meaning the pain relief diminished over time. On the other hand, animals which were administered morphine along with broccoli seed extract showed longer lasting pain relief in other words broccoli appears to slow the development of tolerance these findings suggest that a naturally occurring dietary compound can help maintain the effectiveness of painkillers for longer duration of time thus reducing the need for higher doses and its associated risks in simpler terms can broccoli make painkillers work better well my research says yes And if something as ordinary as broccoli can change the way powerful painkillers like opioids work, imagine what this means for 50 million Americans living with chronic pain. They will have a future where pain relief will not be at the cost of life-threatening side effects. Remember, don't skip the broccoli on your dinner plate tonight. Thank you.

Rights

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