title: Mu and delta opioid receptors diverge.
abstract: Contrary to current models, Scherrer et al. (2009) provide evidence that mu and delta opioid receptors are not expressed by the same pain-sensing neurons. In mice, agonists for these receptors produce analgesia restricted to either noxious heat or mechanical stimuli, implying that the receptors act on distinct fibers to mediate completely different types of pain relief.
authors.affiliation: Neural Plasticity Research Group, Department of Anesthesia and Critical Care, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02129, USA. cwoolf@partners.org
authors.forename: Clifford J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Woolf
mesh_terms: D000701:Analgesics, Opioid / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D006358:Hot Temperature; D008465:Mechanoreceptors / Q000502:physiology; D051379:Mice; D009619:Nociceptors / Q000502:physiology; D010146:Pain; D017465:Receptors, Opioid, delta / Q000819:agonists / Q000502:physiology*; D017450:Receptors, Opioid, mu / Q000819:agonists / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D000701:Analgesics, Opioid; D017465:Receptors, Opioid, delta; D017450:Receptors, Opioid, mu