The mu opioid receptor (MOR) is a G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) and is responsible for the effects of all medically used opioids. Most opioids activate all inhibitory Gαi/o/z proteins through MOR, ...

He began his research journey with a focus on the mu-opioid receptor (MOR), the primary target through which most clinical opioids exert their pain-relieving effects.

Heroin activates a protein found in the brain, spinal cord and gastrointestinal tract called the mu opioid receptor. When activated, these receptors reduce the perception of pain by blocking pain ...

Methadone: This opioid receptor full agonist bonds with opioid receptors. It also switches them on, which may help an individual with their withdrawal symptoms and reduce cravings.

They showed that an experimental opioid, which binds to an unconventional spot on the receptor, suppresses pain in animal models with fewer side effects—most notably those linked to fatal overdoses.

For decades, tianeptine was used to treat depression, even though no one knew how it worked. But it turns out it's a type of opioid, and the U.S. is facing a spike in abuse of "gas station heroin." ...

For decades, tianeptine was used to treat depression, even though no one knew how it worked. But it turns out it's a type of opioid, and the U.S. is facing a spike in abuse of "gas station heroin." ...

Even more surprising: Tianeptine didn’t just bind to the opioid receptor. "It actually activates the receptor like other opioids do, like morphine or like oxycodone or like fentanyl," Javitch said.

Decades before it became known as "gas station heroin," tianeptine was prescribed to treat depression in dozens of countries. Now, U.S. poison control centers are reporting a dramatic spike in cases ...

Distinct brain circuits drive two key components of addiction to the synthetic opioid drug fentanyl, according to a new finding published in Nature (2024, DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-07440-x). The ...

Pain drugs targeting mu-opioid receptors face major addiction problems that have caused an epidemic. The delta-opioid receptor (DOR) has shown to not cause addictive effects when bound to an agonist.