# name
Opioid-galanin receptor heteromers mediate the dopaminergic effects of opioids

# metadata.dc.description.abstract[].value
Identifying non-addictive opioid medications is a high priority in medical sciences, but μ-opioid receptors mediate both the analgesic and addictive effects of opioids. We found a significant pharmacodynamic difference between morphine and methadone that is determined entirely by heteromerization of μ-opioid receptors with galanin Gal1 receptors, rendering a profound decrease in the potency of methadone. This was explained by methadone's weaker proficiency to activate the dopaminergic system as compared to morphine and predicted a dissociation of therapeutic versus euphoric effects of methadone, which was corroborated by a significantly lower incidence of self-report of 'high' in methadone-maintained patients. These results suggest that μ-opioid-Gal1 receptor heteromers mediate the dopaminergic effects of opioids that may lead to a lower addictive liability of opioids with selective low potency for the μ-opioid-Gal1 receptor heteromer, exemplified by methadone.

# metadata.dc.publisher[].value
American Society for Clinical Investigation

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Journal of Clinical Investigation, 2019, vol. 129, num. 7, p. 2730-2744

# metadata.dc.rights[].value
(c) American Society for Clinical Investigation, 2019

# metadata.dc.source[].value
Articles publicats en revistes (Bioquímica i Biomedicina Molecular)

# metadata.dc.title[].value
Opioid-galanin receptor heteromers mediate the dopaminergic effects of opioids