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. 1990 Dec;30(6):897–900. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2125.1990.tb05458.x

Morphine sulphation in children.

I Choonara 1, Y Ekbom 1, B Lindström 1, A Rane 1
PMCID: PMC1368313  PMID: 2288836

Abstract

The metabolism of morphine was studied in nine children and seven preterm neonates receiving a continuous infusion of morphine. All the neonates and three children had detectable concentrations of morphine-3-sulphate (M3S) in urine. None of the neonates or the children had detectable concentrations of morphine-6-sulphate (M6S) in urine. None of the children had detectable concentrations of M3S in plasma. The M3S/morphine ratios were significantly higher in neonates than children (P less than 0.01), suggesting that morphine sulphation decreases after the neonatal period. The amount of M3S formed, even in neonates, is low suggesting that this is a minor metabolic pathway.

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Selected References

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