**5. CD14 receptor coactivation with μOR: effect on cell division and NF-**κΒ **phosphorylation**

LPS-mediated lymphocyte activation and effect of costimulation with opioid receptor agonists were studied by treating the cells with the μOR agonist DAMGO for time intervals of 5, 30, or 240 min. A549, a cell line having both CD14 and μOR, was used to study the effect on cell proliferation and NFκΒ phosphorylation. Treatment of A549 revealed that DAMGO was able to mitigate the LPS-mediated induction of phosphorylated NFκB after cotreatment for 4 h (**Figure 2**). Similarly, DAMGO was also able to suppress the cell proliferation by LPS, significantly reducing the percentage of cells in M-phase as well as in S-phase of the cell cycle (**Tables 2** and **3**).


#### **Table 3.**

*Effect of LPS and DAMGO on cell proliferation at 2 h after treatment.*
