Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Opioid metabolites.

Jörn Lötsch1

  • 1Pharmazentrum Frankfurt, Institute of Clinical Pharmacology, Johann Wolfgang Goethe-University Hospital, Frankfurt, Germany.

Journal of Pain and Symptom Management
|May 24, 2005
PubMed
Summary

Opioid metabolism generates active metabolites that significantly contribute to clinical effects, sometimes more than the parent drug. Understanding these opioid metabolites is crucial for effective patient care.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Quantitative sensory testing and classical pain model dataset in 127 healthy volunteers.

Data in brief·2026
Same author

Voronoi tessellation as a complement or replacement for confidence ellipses in the visualization of data projection and clustering results.

PloS one·2026
Same author

Self-organizing neural network-based generative AI with embedded error inflation control enhances effective knowledge extraction from preclinical studies with reduced sample size.

Pharmacological research·2026
Same author

A model-agnostic framework for dataset-specific selection of missing value imputation methods in pain-related numerical data.

Canadian journal of pain = Revue canadienne de la douleur·2026
Same author

Dimensionality-modulated generative AI for safe biomedical dataset augmentation.

iScience·2026
Same author

Resolving Interpretation Challenges in Machine Learning Feature Selection With an Iterative Approach in Biomedical Pain Data.

European journal of pain (London, England)·2026

Area of Science:

  • Pharmacology
  • Medicinal Chemistry
  • Clinical Pharmacy

Background:

  • Opioid metabolism is intrinsically linked to their chemical structures.
  • Metabolism involves Phase I (e.g., dealkylation, reduction, deacetylation) and Phase II (glucuronidation, sulfatation) reactions.
  • Some opioid metabolites possess pharmacological activity, influencing the overall therapeutic or adverse effects.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To elucidate the role of opioid metabolites in the clinical effects of opioid medications.
  • To highlight instances where active metabolites are primarily responsible for the observed effects.
  • To emphasize the clinical significance of considering metabolite activity in patient management.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing literature on opioid metabolism and pharmacology.
  • Analysis of structure-activity relationships of opioid metabolites.
  • Case examples illustrating the impact of active metabolites (e.g., codeine, tramadol, morphine).

Main Results:

  • Opioid metabolites can exert significant pharmacological activity, contributing to parent drug effects.
  • Active metabolites are key to the clinical efficacy of drugs like codeine and tramadol.
  • Morphine-6-glucuronide exhibits potent opioid effects, particularly in renal impairment, and may contribute to peripheral effects.

Conclusions:

  • Opioid metabolites are not inert byproducts; they actively contribute to clinical outcomes.
  • The activity of metabolites like morphine-6-glucuronide necessitates consideration in specific patient populations (e.g., renal failure).
  • Neuroexcitatory metabolites from opioids like meperidine underscore the importance of metabolite profiling in drug development and clinical practice.

Related Experiment Videos