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Delta Opioid Pharmacology in Parkinson’s Disease

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Delta Opioid Receptor Pharmacology and Therapeutic Applications

Part of the book series: Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology ((HEP,volume 247))

Abstract

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that compromises multiple neurochemical substrates including dopamine, norepinephrine, serotonin, acetylcholine, and glutamate systems. Loss of these transmitter systems initiates a cascade of neurological deficits beginning with motor function and ending with dementia. Current therapies primarily address the motor symptoms of the disease via dopamine replacement therapy. Exogenous dopamine replacement brings about additional challenges since after years of treatment it almost invariably gives rise to dyskinesia as a side effect. Therefore there is a clear unmet clinical need for improved PD therapeutics. Opioid receptors and their respective peptides are expressed throughout the basal ganglia and cortex where monoaminergic denervation strongly contributes to PD pathology. Delta opioid receptors are of particular interest because of their dense localization in basal ganglia and because activating this system is known to enhance locomotor activity under a variety of conditions. This chapter will outline much of the work that has demonstrated the effectiveness of delta opioid receptor activation in models of PD and its neuroprotective properties. It also discusses some of the challenges that must be addressed before moving delta opioid receptor agonists into a clinical setting.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry, University of Michigan, 930 North University, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA

    Omar S. Mabrouk Ph.D.

  2. Department of Pharmacology, University of Michigan, 930 North University, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA

    Omar S. Mabrouk Ph.D.

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  1. Omar S. Mabrouk Ph.D.
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Correspondence to Omar S. Mabrouk Ph.D. .

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  1. Department of Pharmacology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

    Emily M. Jutkiewicz

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Mabrouk, O.S. (2016). Delta Opioid Pharmacology in Parkinson’s Disease. In: Jutkiewicz, E. (eds) Delta Opioid Receptor Pharmacology and Therapeutic Applications. Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology, vol 247. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/164_2016_16

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