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Multiple opiate receptors and their functional significance.
Journal of Neural Transmission. Supplementum
|January 1, 1983
Summary
Opiate receptors are diverse, including mu, delta, kappa, and epsilon types, with potential subtypes. Their exact relationship with endogenous opioids and specific functions remains under investigation, though they are involved in pain modulation.
Area of Science:
- Pharmacology
- Neuroscience
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- Opiate receptors are crucial for various physiological processes.
- Evidence suggests opiate receptors are not a single entity but exist in multiple types.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the evidence for different types and subtypes of opiate receptors.
- To explore the relationship between opiate receptor diversity and endogenous opioids.
- To discuss the functional implications of opiate receptor multiplicity.
Main Methods:
- Review of studies on peripheral organs.
- Analysis of opiate receptor ligand binding to brain membranes.
- Examination of behavioral experiments.
Main Results:
- Identified mu (morphine), delta (enkephalin), kappa (ketocyclazocine), and epsilon (beta-endorphin) opiate receptor types.
- Evidence suggests subtypes exist, particularly for mu- and kappa-receptors.
- Multiple opiate receptor types can coexist in the same tissue, with varying concentrations across brain regions.
Conclusions:
- The precise relationship between multiple opiate receptors and endogenous opioids is not fully understood.
- Enkephalins and dynorphin are likely associated with delta- and kappa-receptors, respectively.
- Current knowledge indicates that mu, delta, and kappa receptors are all implicated in pain modulation, highlighting functional overlap.