Synthesis and Investigation of Mixed μ-Opioid and δ-Opioid Agonists as Possible Bivalent Ligands for Treatment of Pain

J Heterocycl Chem. 2017 Mar;54(2):1228-1235. doi: 10.1002/jhet.2696. Epub 2016 Jun 1.

Abstract

Several studies have suggested functional association between μ-opioid and δ-opioid receptors and showed that μ-activity could be modulated by δ-ligands. The general conclusion is that agonists for the δ-receptor can enhance the analgesic potency and efficacy of μ-agonists. Our preliminary investigations demonstrate that new bivalent ligands constructed from the μ-agonist fentanyl and the δ-agonist enkephalin-like peptides are promising entities for creation of new analgesics with reduced side effects for treatment of neuropathic pain. A new superposition of the mentioned pharmacophores led to novel μ-bivalent/δ-bivalent compounds that demonstrate both μ-opioid and δ-opioid receptor agonist activity and high efficacy in anti-inflammatory and neuropathic pain models with the potential of reduced unwanted side effects.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural