The absence of consistent end organ abnormalities in many chronic pain syndromes has led to a search for maladaptive CNS mechanisms that may explain their clinical presentations and course. Here, we addressed the role of brain regional μ-opioid receptor-mediated neurotransmission, one of the best recognized mechanisms of pain regulation, in chronic back pain in human subjects. We compared μ-opi...

objective: in this study, the current literatures on the use of herbs and herbal preparations of traditional chinese and indian medicine for the treatment of opioid addiction were reviewed. methods: search was done in databases such as pub med, science direct, scopus, springer link, and google scholar. results: among 18 retrieved studies, 3 studies were about asafetida extract, an approved prep...

Opioids remain the most effective analgesics despite their potential adverse effects such as tolerance and addiction. Mechanisms underlying these opiate-mediated processes remain the subject of much debate. Here we describe opioid-induced behaviors of Lmx1b conditional knockout mice (Lmx1bf/f/p), which lack central serotonergic neurons, and we report that opioid analgesia is differentially depe...

The regulation of opioid receptor system function in peripheral sensory neurons is not well understood. Opioid agonist efficacy to inhibit nociceptor function and to promote antinociception is generally weak under basal conditions and frequently no response occurs. However, in response to a cyclooxygenasedependent metabolite of arachidonic acid (AA) after exposure to inflammatory mediators, suc...

The regulation of opioid receptor system function in peripheral sensory neurons is not well understood. Opioid agonist efficacy to inhibit nociceptor function and to promote antinociception is generally weak under basal conditions and frequently no response occurs. However, in response to a cyclooxygenase-dependent metabolite of arachidonic acid (AA) after exposure to inflammatory mediators, su...

Since 1952, when Gates determined the stereo structure of morphine, numerous groups have focused on discovering a nonnarcotic opioid drug. Although several natural, semisynthetic, and synthetic opioid ligands (alkaloids and peptides) have been developed in clinical studies, very few were nonnarcotic opioid drugs. One of the most important studies in the opioid field appeared in 1976, when Marti...

Background and Objective: The effect of opioids on the reproductive system has been studied as an attractive research field. In this study, the effect of morphine as an analgesic opioid was evaluated on the ovarian polycystic induction in the rat. Materials & Methods: In this study, 24 female virgin Wistar rats weighing 200-250 g were injected with morphine (1-10 mg/kg/day) for 9 days. Control ...

Pain is one of the hallmarks of inflammation. Opioid receptors mediate antipain responses in both the peripheral nervous system and CNS. In the present study, pretreatment of CCR1: mu-opioid receptor/HEK293 cells with CCL3 (MIP-1alpha) induced internalization of mu-opioid receptors and severely impaired the mu-opioid receptor-mediated inhibition of cAMP accumulation. Immunohistochemical stainin...

PURPOSE The current epidemic of prescription opioid abuse and misuse in the United States is discussed, with an emphasis on the pharmacist's role in ensuring safe and effective opioid use. SUMMARY U.S. sales of prescription opioids increased fourfold from 1999 to 2010, with an alarming rise in deaths and emergency department visits associated with the use of fentanyl, hydrocodone, oxycodone, ...