Scientists are racing to redesign how powerful painkillers work, aiming to keep the relief that opioids provide while ...

Researchers at USF Health have discovered a new way opioid receptors can work that may lead to safer pain medications. Their findings show that certain experimental compounds can amplify pain relief ...

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, Vol. 119, No. 16 (April 19, 2022), pp. 1-10 (10 pages) Allosteric modulators of G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) ...

Scientists have known for decades that opioids relieve pain by binding to molecular switches in the brain called mu-opioid (pronounced "mew-opioid") receptors. What they didn't know - until now - was ...

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 ...

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

For decades, opioids have been the blunt instrument of modern pain care, powerful enough to quiet severe suffering yet risky ...

An experimental compound (gold) binds (dotted lines) to an unconventional spot within opioid receptors (turquoise) in the brain and therefore avoids some of the dangers associated with current opioid ...

Preferential MOP agonists such as oxycodone are often required for effective management of moderate to severe pain but come with significant ...

Opioid antagonists are medications people can take to treat opioid use disorder. They help by reducing withdrawal symptoms, addressing cravings, and managing overdoses. Doctors prescribe opioid ...