Research Project
3206808
OBJECTIVES: 1. To continue the investigation into the physiological roles of the endogenous opioid peptides, methionine-enkephalin, leucine-enkephalin and beta-endorphin. 2. To continue with the characterization of the binding of opiates and opioid peptides to mu-, delta- and kappa-receptor sites. To search for agonists and antagonists which interact specifically with each type of these receptors. 3. To use specific agonists or antagonists for the study of the differential distribution of the various opiate receptors in the central and peripheral nervous system of various species. 4. To continue to study the mechanisms mediating the release of the enkephalins and to examine the differences in the release of methionine-and leucine-enkephalin. To investigate the modulation of release by drugs. 5. To study the biosynthesis of the two enkephalins and, in particular, the kinetics of the interactions between the enkephalins and their putative precursors. 6. To continue to assess the agonist and antagonist characteristics of new synthetic narcotic analgesic drugs and to pay special attention to their differential interactions with the mu, delta, and kappa-receptors. 7. To continue the investigation of the role of the interaction between the endogenous opioid peptides and exogenously applied narcotic analgesics in the development of tolerance and dependence.
