Lukas Hohenwarter, Ernest Puil, Elham Rouhollahi, Lennart Bohrmann, Shawna Lu, Katayoun Saatchi, Urs O Häfeli, Alasdair Barr, Roland Böttger, K K DurgaRao Viswanadham, Shyh-Dar Li
Persistent pain is a significant healthcare problem with limited treatment options. The high incidence of comorbid chronic pain and depression significantly reduces life quality and complicates the treatment of both conditions. Antidepressants are less effective for pain and depression than for depression alone and they induce severe side effects. Opioids are highly efficacious analgesics, but rapid development of tolerance, dependence, and debilitating side effects limit their efficacy and safe use. Leucine-enkephalin (Leu-ENK), the endogenous delta opioid receptor agonist, controls pain and mood and produces potent analgesia with reduced adverse effects compared to conventional opioids...
February 5, 2024: Molecular Pharmaceutics