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The Opiate Receptor and Its Endogenous Ligands An Overview

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Endorphins and Opiate Antagonists in Psychiatric Research

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Abstract

Contemporary research on the mode of action of narcotic analgesics has its origins in antiquity. The physical and psychological effects of the extract of the opium poppy (Papaver somniferum) were known to the ancient Sumerians (ca. 4000 B.C.) and were noted in the Eber papyrus, an Egyptian hieroglyphic document (ca. 1550 B.C.). Of the more than 20 alkaloids contained in opium, morphine, which was first isolated by Sertürner in 1803, is the most important constituent. The relatively slow progress in elucidating the molecular mechanisms underlying the myriad of pharmacological effects of morphine and its congeners may lie in part in our as yet incomplete understanding of the operations of the target tissue, the central nervous system (CNS). However, developments in the neurochemical and neuropharmacological aspects of opiate research in the past 9 years have engendered considerable activity and excitement. The exponential increase in the number of scientific reports in this field of research is an indication of the importance attached to this area of neurobiology. Two major breakthroughs, the discovery of opiate receptors in the CNS of animals and man and the ensuing discovery of endogenous opiate-like ligands for these receptors, are the focal points of this overview.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA

    Jacob M. Hiller

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  1. Jacob M. Hiller
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. William S. Hall Psychiatric Institute, Department of Neuropsychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Department of Pharmacology, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, South Carolina, USA

    Nandkumar S. Shah Ph.D. (Chief of Research Services, Research Professor, Adjunct Professor) (Chief of Research Services, Research Professor, Adjunct Professor)

  2. William S. Hall Psychiatric Institute, Department of Neuropsychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, South Carolina, USA

    Alexander G. Donald M.D. (Director, Professor and Chairman) (Director, Professor and Chairman)

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© 1982 Plenum Publishing Corporation

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Hiller, J.M. (1982). The Opiate Receptor and Its Endogenous Ligands An Overview. In: Shah, N.S., Donald, A.G. (eds) Endorphins and Opiate Antagonists in Psychiatric Research. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-1119-5_2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-1119-5_2

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