Painkillers without dangerous side effects
Researchers discover new mechanism of action
Date:
March 3, 2017
Source:
Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin
Summary:
Researchers have discovered a new way of developing painkillers. When used in an animal model, their prototype of a morphine-like molecule was able to produce substantial pain relief in inflamed tissues. However, healthy tissues remained unaffected, suggesting that the severe side effects currently associated with these types of painkillers might be avoided.
FULL STORY
Treating postoperative and chronic inflammatory pain should now be possible without causing side effects. Doing so would substantially improve patient quality of life. (Stock image)
Credit: © imacoconut / Fotolia
Researchers from Charité -- Universitätsmedizin Berlin have discovered a new way of developing painkillers. The team of researchers used computational simulation to analyze interactions at opioid receptors -- the cell's docking sites for painkillers. When used in an animal model, their prototype of a morphine-like molecule was able to produce substantial pain relief in inflamed tissues. However, healthy tissues remained unaffected, suggesting that the severe side effects currently associated with these types of painkillers might be avoided. This research has been published in the current issue of the journal Science.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/03/170303102855.htm
