A new study published in the journal Nature presents a solution to addiction problems and the growing number of deaths caused by opiates such as morphine, oxycodone or hydrocodone.
Scientists at Stanford University Medical Center (USA) have developed a safer drug after deciphering the atomic structure of the “morphine receptor” in the brain to create a compound that blocks pain like morphine but without the harmful side effects that can lead to the death of the patient. In addition, this new narcotic also does not activate the reward center of the brain, thus reducing addiction.
To develop this narcotic, the experts, instead of trying to change the structure of morphine to eliminate its negative effects, investigated how to develop a new opioid from scratch , using information about the structure of the receptor of the drug. morphine in the brain (mu opioid receptor).
Thus, they combined the structural information of the opioid receptor with a computer technique called “molecular coupling” that allowed all sorts of virtual experiments (about 4 billion experiments) to find molecules that fit the receptor and activate signaling to reduce the perception of pain. without activating the beta 2 arrestin protein , responsible for respiratory problems and constipation associated with the use of opioids.
They were finally able to identify 23 molecules; By increasing the chemical efficiency of these molecules 1,000 times, they found the most effective candidate to replace morphine. It has been baptized as PZM21. The new narcotic has been successfully tested in mice, finding that not only did it not cause respiratory problems or constipation, but it did not stimulate the dopamine pathways in the brain, known to fuel addiction.
