Researchers from Ibs.Granada identify a mechanism to increase the analgesic efficacy of opioids
The finding, made in collaboration with the Madrid-based Teófilo Hernando Institute for Drug R&D, has been published in the scientific journal Neuropharmacology
A research group from the Biosanitary Research Institute of Granada (Ibs.Granada) has identified a pharmacological mechanism by which the analgesic efficacy of opioid drugs is increased, those derived from opium that are administered in the face of intense pain such as postoperative pain cancerous or visceral pain.
The finding, which has been published in the international scientific journal Neuropharmacology, is based on the hypothesis that there are some receptors, called sigma-1, that naturally stop the analgesic effect of opioids, both at the central nervous system and at the level of the body. peripheral system of the organism. These receptors are found in peripheral sensory neurons and in those that are specifically responsible for transmitting pain (nociceptors).
In this sense, researchers have managed to block the action of these sigma-1 receptors through drugs, thus achieving 100% effectiveness of opioid drugs and not diminished by the natural action of these receptors. According to the main researcher of the group, Enrique Cobos del Moral, “sigma-1 receptor blocking drugs could improve the effect of analgesics such as morphine or oxycodone, minimizing the central adverse effects of this type of drugs and making them safer for the patients, ”he explains.
To achieve these results, the Granada researchers have counted on the collaboration of scientists from the Teófilo Hernando Institute of Medicine R&D, Madrid.
IBS.Granada is a Health Research Institute within the framework of collaboration between the University of Granada and the University Hospitals of Granada that aims to be a benchmark in scientific excellence, quality and innovation in translational research. It has five research areas aimed at developing and identifying new approaches for the diagnosis and treatment of diseases.