AIM Despite the serious side effects, analgesics acting on opioid receptors are still considered the best way to get antinociception. Matrix metalloproteinases, a large family of zinc-dependent proteases implicated in… Click to show full abstract
AIM Despite the serious side effects, analgesics acting on opioid receptors are still considered the best way to get antinociception. Matrix metalloproteinases, a large family of zinc-dependent proteases implicated in many pathological conditions, such as diabetes and osteoarthritis, are also involved in inflammation and pain. Methodology & results: Looking for evidence of possible interactions of opioid pathways and inflammation mediators, molecular modeling studies of a series of recently developed μ-opioid receptor benzomorphanic agonists together with biological data on pain and inflammation molecular targets, allowed us to hypothesize a possible correlation between μ-opioid receptor system and MMP-9. CONCLUSION A new compound, (-)-MML1017, emerged as a possible dual-acting agent able to interact selectively and potently with the two molecular targets.
               
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