Regulation of Opioid Receptors by Their Endogenous Opioid Peptides.
Quick Facts
What This Study Found
Loss of beta-endorphin and/or proenkephalin caused differential, region-specific, and sex-specific modulation of mu, delta, and kappa opioid receptor expression and activity, with no compensatory increase in dynorphin-derived peptides.
Key Numbers
3 knockout types; mu/delta/kappa all affected; region-specific; sex-specific; Leu-enkephalin mainly from proenkephalin; no dynorphin compensation
How They Did This
Knockout mouse study. Mice lacking proenkephalin, beta-endorphin, or both were compared to wild-type. Leu-enkephalin and dynorphin levels measured by mass spectrometry. Opioid receptor levels and G-protein activity measured in specific brain regions. Males and females compared.
Why This Research Matters
Opioid receptors are major drug targets for pain, addiction, and mood. Knowing that the body's own opioid peptides regulate these receptors helps explain individual differences in pain sensitivity and addiction vulnerability.
What This Study Doesn't Tell Us
Mouse knockout study. Complete absence of a peptide from birth does not mimic natural human variation. Compensatory developmental changes may mask acute effects. Cannot directly extrapolate sex differences to humans.
Trust & Context
- Original Title:
- Regulation of Opioid Receptors by Their Endogenous Opioid Peptides.
- Published In:
- Cellular and molecular neurobiology, 41(5), 1103-1118 (2021)
- Authors:
- Gupta, Achla, Gullapalli, Srinivas, Pan, Hui, Ramos-Ortolaza, Dinah L, Hayward, Michael D, Low, Malcom J, Pintar, John E, Devi, Lakshmi A, Gomes, Ivone
- Database ID:
- RPEP-05429
Evidence Hierarchy
Read More on RethinkPeptides
Cite This Study
https://rethinkpeptides.com/research/RPEP-05429APA
Gupta, Achla; Gullapalli, Srinivas; Pan, Hui; Ramos-Ortolaza, Dinah L; Hayward, Michael D; Low, Malcom J; Pintar, John E; Devi, Lakshmi A; Gomes, Ivone. (2021). Regulation of Opioid Receptors by Their Endogenous Opioid Peptides.. Cellular and molecular neurobiology, 41(5), 1103-1118. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10571-020-01015-w
MLA
Gupta, Achla, et al. "Regulation of Opioid Receptors by Their Endogenous Opioid Peptides.." Cellular and molecular neurobiology, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10571-020-01015-w
RethinkPeptides
RethinkPeptides Research Database. "Regulation of Opioid Receptors by Their Endogenous Opioid Pe..." RPEP-05429. Retrieved from https://rethinkpeptides.com/research/gupta-2021-regulation-of-opioid-receptors
Access the Original Study
Study data sourced from PubMed, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health.
This study breakdown was produced by the RethinkPeptides research team. We analyze and report published research findings without making health recommendations. All interpretations are based solely on the published abstract and study data.