Two different versions of the mu-opioid receptor within a cellular membrane illustrate how the receptor changes its conformation to send a signal into the cell. Scientists captured six high-resolution ...

Opioid receptors are proteins in the nervous system that interact with opioids. Opioid receptors are part of the endogenous opioid system. This is the body’s internal system for regulating pain, ...

New research reveals previously unknown ways opioid receptors can function, opening the door to safer pain treatments.

Kappa-opioid receptor (KOR) agonists represent a promising class of compounds that modulate pain, mood and various neurobehavioural processes. Unlike traditional opioids that primarily target the ...

Researchers identified the structure of an opioid receptor in the brain during active engagement with a drug molecule. The discovery could facilitate the creation of safer and more effective opioid ...

Drugs that target opioid receptors sometimes have severe side effects. Thousands of people around the world die every day from overdoses involving opioids such as fentanyl. Researchers have taken a ...

America remains in the grips of an opioid epidemic. Over the past 25 years or so, opioid overdose deaths have been rising steadily, reaching a record 81,806 in 2022, and not budging much since. Drugs ...

Neuropeptide FF (NPFF) is an endogenous peptide that plays a critical role in modulating opioid receptor function. Its dual capacity to influence both opioid-induced analgesia and tolerance has ...

Researchers at USF Health are making dramatic strides in understanding how new opioid compounds work inside the body to provide pain relief, offering greater hope that new classes of these drugs may ...

Opioid receptors are a subset of G protein–coupled receptors (GPCRs). These membrane proteins transmit signals into the cell ...

Brandy Schillace’s review of “Candace Pert” by Pamela Rykman (Bookshelf, Nov. 15) contains a questionable conclusion: the discovery of the mu opioid receptor in 1972 “helped launch the opioid crisis” ...

Opioids slot into opioid receptors and activate them. This sends signals to your brain to relieve pain and promote pleasure. Both endogenous opioids, which your body naturally produces, and exogenous ...