Targeting Alternative Opioid Receptor Reduces Drug Side Effects

A new study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) indicates, “Delta opioid receptors have a built-in mechanism for pain relief and can be precisely targeted with drug-delivering nanoparticles, making them a promising target for treating chronic inammatory pain with fewer side eects.” Researchers used cells from humans and mice with inammatory bowel disease, which can cause chronic pain, in order to facilitate the study. The body’s opioid receptors relieve pain when they are activated by opioids and the majority of these medications act on the mu opioid receptor. However, for purposes of the current study, researchers focused on the delta opioid receptor, which also inhibits pain when activated with fewer side eects, including life-threatening airway complications and overdose. If pain could be managed by targeting this alternative receptor, it would act as a safer alternative.