Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine (DIMES), University of Bologna, Via Massarenti 9, 40138 Bologna, Italy.
National Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Stem Cell Bioengineering of the National Institute of Biostructures and Biosystems (NIBB)-Eldor Lab, at the Innovation Accelerator, CNR, Via Piero Gobetti 101, 40129 Bologna, Italy.
Int J Mol Sci. 2022 Mar 30;23(7):3819. doi: 10.3390/ijms23073819.
Opioids are considered the oldest drugs known by humans and have been used for sedation and pain relief for several centuries. Nowadays, endogenous opioid peptides are divided into four families: enkephalins, dynorphins, endorphins, and nociceptin/orphanin FQ. They exert their action through the opioid receptors (ORs), transmembrane proteins belonging to the super-family of G-protein-coupled receptors, and are expressed throughout the body; the receptors are the δ opioid receptor (DOR), μ opioid receptor (MOR), κ opioid receptor (KOR), and nociceptin/orphanin FQ receptor (NOP). Endogenous opioids are mainly studied in the central nervous system (CNS), but their role has been investigated in other organs, both in physiological and in pathological conditions. Here, we revise their role in stem cell (SC) biology, since these cells are a subject of great scientific interest due to their peculiar features and their involvement in cell-based therapies in regenerative medicine. In particular, we focus on endogenous opioids' ability to modulate SC proliferation, stress response (to oxidative stress, starvation, or damage following ischemia-reperfusion), and differentiation towards different lineages, such as neurogenesis, vasculogenesis, and cardiogenesis.
阿片类药物被认为是人类已知的最古老的药物,已经被用于镇静和缓解疼痛几个世纪。如今,内源性阿片肽分为四大类:脑啡肽、强啡肽、内啡肽和孤啡肽/孤啡肽 FQ。它们通过阿片受体(ORs)发挥作用,阿片受体是属于 G 蛋白偶联受体超家族的跨膜蛋白,在全身表达;受体包括 δ 阿片受体(DOR)、μ 阿片受体(MOR)、κ 阿片受体(KOR)和孤啡肽/孤啡肽 FQ 受体(NOP)。内源性阿片类物质主要在中枢神经系统(CNS)中进行研究,但它们在其他器官中的作用也在生理和病理条件下进行了研究。在这里,我们回顾了它们在干细胞(SC)生物学中的作用,因为这些细胞因其独特的特征及其在再生医学中基于细胞的治疗中的参与而成为科学研究的热点。特别是,我们专注于内源性阿片类物质调节 SC 增殖、应激反应(氧化应激、饥饿或缺血再灌注后损伤)以及向不同谱系分化的能力,如神经发生、血管生成和心脏发生。
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