Presynaptic auto- and allelo-receptor regulation of hypothalamic opioid peptide release

Recent studies have shown that inhibitory feedback mechanisms regulate the release of the endogenous opioid peptides beta-endorphin (acting predominantly at mu opioid receptors in the brain), dynorphin (a kappa opioid receptor ligand) and [Met]enkephalin (a delta opioid receptor ligand) from the rat hypothalamus. By using specific antagonists of the various opioid receptor types, it is shown that the release of these peptides from hypothalamic slices in vitro is not only controlled by homologous (auto)-receptors, but that cross-regulation between the three neuronal opioid receptor types also occurs; thus, the delta receptor antagonist N,N-diallyl-Tyr-Aib-Aib-Phe-Leu increases the release of all three peptides, the mu receptor antagonist D-tetrahydroisoquinoline-Cys-Tyr-D-Trp-Arg-Thr-Pen-Thr-NH2 increases that of beta-endorphin and dynorphin, and the kappa receptor antagonist nor-binaltorphimine increases that of dynorphin; all these effects occur in the presence of tetrodotoxin, indicating a presynaptic site of action. We propose the term "allelo-receptors" to describe this particular form of neuronal regulation in which an endogenous ligand, acting via its own specific receptor, also regulates the release of related peptides which activate different classes of opioid receptors.