Heroin Pharmacology:

Heroin is a white powder that is readily soluble in water. The introduction of just two esters onto the morphine molecule changes the physical properties of the substance such that there is a signifi-cant increase in solubility, permitting solutions with increased drug concentrations. A more subtle advantage of heroin is its greater potency compared to morphine. The volume of drug injected may be particularly important when high doses are used. Thus, 1 gram of heroin will produce the effects of 2 to 3 grams of morphine; by converting morphine to heroin, producers increase both the potency and the value of the drug.

Following injection, heroin is very potent, with the ability to cross the blood-brain barrier and enter the brain. This barrier results from a unique arrangement of cells around blood vessels within the brain, which limits the free movement of compounds. Many factors contribute to the barrier—in general, the less polar a drug, the more rapidly it enters the brain. Heroin, however, has a very short half-life in the blood (amount of time that half the drug remains). It is rapidly degraded by esterases, the enzymes that break ester bonds. The acetyl group at the 3-position of the molecule is far more sensitive to these enzymes than the acetyl group at the 6-position. Indeed, the 3-acetyl group is attacked almost immediately after injection and, within several minutes, virtually all the heroin is converted to a metabolite, 6-acetylmorphine. The remaining acetyl group at the 6-position is also lost, but at a slower rate. Loss of both acetyl groups generates morphine. It is believed that a combination of 6-acetylmorphine and morphine is responsible for the actions of heroin.

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