Neuropeptide mimetics for pain management*

The discovery of numerous endogenous neuropeptides that participate in the formation, transmission, modulation, and perception of pain signals offers numerous strategies for the development of new analgesics. Nevertheless, the same research has not yet replaced opioids as the gold standard of pain treatment. Therefore, one possible avenue of drug development may shift interest from searching for receptor-selective opioids to creating an arsenal of drugs that target multiple opioid and non-opioid sites simultaneously. The presented short review focuses on the development of potential analgesic peptidomimetic compounds based upon opioid neuropeptides and substance P.