Multifaceted Effects of Delta Opioid Receptors and DADLE in Diseases of the Nervous System.

The opioid system is considered a potential therapeutic target in a variety of neurological disorders. Delta opioid receptors (DOPs) are broadly expressed in the brain, and their activation protects cells from hypoxic/ischemic insults by counteracting disruptions of ionic homeostasis and initiating neuroprotective pathways. The DOP agonist D-Ala2-D-Leu2-Enkephalin (DADLE) promotes neuronal survival, mitigates apoptotic pathways, and protects neurons and glial cells from ischemia-induced cell death, thus making DADLE a promising therapeutic option for stroke. The significant amount of research regarding DOPs and DADLE in the last decades also suggests their potential in treating other neurological disorders. Current studies attempt to reveal the mechanisms underlying function and regulation of DOPs, as well as DADLE's therapeutic benefits. Characterizing DADLE's therapeutic mechanisms of action is a critical step toward transitioning this peptide into the clinic as a therapy for stroke and other neurological diseases linked to DOP. This review article discusses evidence supporting the potential of the delta-opioid family of receptors and its ligands in developing novel therapeutic strategies for stroke and other brain disorders. Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.org.

Citation

Jea-Young Lee, M Grant Liska, Marci Crowley, Kaya Xu, Sandra A Acosta, Cesar V Borlongan, Vivian A Guedes. Multifaceted Effects of Delta Opioid Receptors and DADLE in Diseases of the Nervous System. Current drug discovery technologies. 2017 Oct 10

PMID: 29032758

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