title: Opioid receptors and preconditioning of the heart.
abstract: Recent studies have demonstrated that opioids and their receptors, investigated for many years for their analgesic effects on central nervous system receptors, also play a role in the regulation of the cardiovascular system. Although some of these actions may be mediated by activation of peripheral opioid receptors, others seem to result from direct or independent effects of their receptors on cardiac tissue and the peripheral vascular system. This review will focus on the effects of opioid receptor stimulation in the heart, particularly those mimicking the cardioprotective effect of ischemic preconditioning.
authors.affiliation: Serviço de Fisiologia da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.
authors.forename: Joana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Saraiva
authors.forename: Sílvia Marta
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Oliveira
authors.forename: Amândio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rocha-Sousa
authors.forename: Adelino
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Leite-Moreira
mesh_terms: D006321:Heart / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D019157:Ischemic Preconditioning, Myocardial; D018847:Opioid Peptides / Q000502:physiology; D011957:Receptors, Opioid / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D018847:Opioid Peptides; D011957:Receptors, Opioid