Opioids and Pain

Abstract

<p>This article reviews basic and clinical concepts on pain and mechanisms underlying opioid analgesia. It describes the structure, function, and cellular signaling of opioid receptors; endogenous and exogenous opioid receptor ligands; as well as the central and peripheral sites of opioid actions. The article also presents novel opioid-based therapeutic strategies, developed from recently gained knowledge on opioid receptor structures and signaling, pathological pain situations, and mutant mouse lines, aimed at the reduction of side effects such as respiratory depression, constipation, sedation, tolerance, or opioid-induced hyperalgesia. Lastly, the article addresses clinical problems associated with opioid use, particularly the long-term use of opioid analgesics in chronic pain.</p>

Anxiolytic, Analgesic and Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Peptides Hmg 1b-2 and Hmg 1b-4 from the Sea Anemone Heteractis magnifica

“…During pathophysiological conditions such as inflammation, in rodent models, local extracellular pH can decrease physiological values (generally about 7.4) to 6.8 [ 55 , 56 , 57 , 58 ], causing an increase in ASIC transcript levels in vivo. In the model of acute local inflammation induced by λ-carrageenan, Hmg 1b-4 had a more pronounced and statistically significant anti-inflammatory effect than its homologue Hmg 1b-2.…”