Lecture 17- Opioids Flashcards
define nociception
Nociception – ‘non-conscious neural traffic due to trauma or potential trauma to tissue’
- E.g. when we touch something hot
define pain
is the neural processes of encoding and processing noxious stimuli.
outline pain pathway
- Damaged tissue release bradykinin and prostaglandins etc
- Nociceptors stimulated
- Release of Substance P (agonises local inflammatory response) and Glutamate
- Glutamate stimulates Adelta fibres (sharp pain) or C fibres (unmyelinated and transmit dull pain)
- Afferent nerve stimulated enter spinal cord in the dorsal horn and synapse with second order neurone
- Fibres decussate at the same level of entry
- Action potential ascends (spinothalamic)
- Synapse in thalamus
- Project to Post central gyrus (primary somatosensory cortex)
where can we modulate pain
peripherally and centrally
where is pain modulate peripherally and centrally
- Peripherally: Substantia Gelatinosa
- Centrally: Peri aqueductal grey
different mechanisms used
Peripheral modulation
- Within the substantia gelatinosa in the dorsal horn
- Lamina 1 and 5 are where pain fibres transmit
- E.g.
- Stimulation of Adelta + C fibres due to tissue damage
- Enters lamina 1 and 5
- Ascends the spinal cord via the spinothalamic tract and projects to the thalamus
- Receive pain sensation in the primary somatosensory cortex
- The tissue damage also sends inhibitory signals to the substantia gelatinosa- technically would make it feel as painful as possible
- How do we modulate this? By ‘rubbing it better’
- Ab fibres are activated by rubbing the tissue and send stimulatory signals to the substantia gelatinosa
- Send inhibitor signals to lamin 1 and 5, reducing amount of pain received by the thalamus
Central modulation
- Pain received by the thalamus and then cortex (primary somatosensory cortex)
- Both the thalamus and cortex can stimulate the periaqueductal grey matter
- Which then sends inhibitory signals to the dorsal horn and reduce the amount of pain being send from the DH to the thalamus.
- Via endogenous opioids and 5-HT (serotonin)
Endogenous opioids
Enkephalins, Endorphins and Dynorphins
opioid receptor
- Opioid receptors= G protein receptors
- Three receptor subtypes
- MOP/μ – most important clinically
- DOP/δ
- KOP/Κ
MOP receptor (u)
- Found predominantly brainstem and thalamus
- Also in spinal cord and GI tract
- Responsible for therapeutic and adverse effects
outline how opioid GPCR receptors decrease pai felt
- Agonist (opioid) binds to GPCR e.g. MOP receptor
- Leads to decrease in cAMP
- Efflux of potassium
- Hyperpolarisation of membrane
- Decreases substance P and GABA release
- Increases dopamine release
Opioids as a class
- Use opioids to exploit natural opioid receptors either by agonising or antagonising them
- Main therapeutic effect via u-receptors (MOP)
- Aim to modulate pain
- Also indicated in cough, diarrhoea and palliation
- Many different examples
Opioid tolerance
- Many mechanisms
- Can start to develop after a single dose
- 2 main proposed mechanisms
opioid tolerace mechanisms
- Phosphorylation and uncoupling
- cAMP production
Phosphorylation and uncoupling
- Opioid binds to MOP receptor and activates G protein
- Causes decreased cAMP within cell
- Decreased pain in the body
- However … as opioid starts to bind we get intracellular phosphorylation of MOP receptor by kinases within the cell and these start to modulate the MOP receptor
- Modulation means that proteins like Arrestin can bind and displaces G protein…
- Or it means the opioid may not have the same effect on the MOP receptor…
- Therefore don’t get decrease cAMP
- Therefore don’t get decrease in pain
cAMP production
- Opioid binds causing decreased cAMP and decreased pain
-
However… over a period of time when opioid is removed we get rebound effect massively increasing amount of camp in the cell, therefore increased pain
- Can cause neuronal excitability which causes withdrawal symptoms
- Therefore… have to give higher and higher dose of opioid in order to achieve same decrease in cAMP and pain
WHO analgesic ladder
- For chronic pain (not as useful for acute pain)
- Want to aim to keep lowest dose and weaker opioid for as long as possible
- Start with simple analgesia e.g. paracetamol and NSAIDS
- Then use weak opioids e.g. codeine
- Then move to strong opioids e.g. morphine, fentanyl
simple analgeisa
paracetamol, NSAIDS
weak opiod
codeine
strong opioid
tramadol, buprenorphine, methadone, diamorphine, fentanyl, hydromorphone, morphine
opioids do not work for …
Nerve pain: Neuropathic drugs used e.g. shingles
- Anticonvulsants
- Tricyclics
- Serotonin/NA reuptake inhibitors
name 2 strong MOP(u) receptor agonists
morphine and fentanyl
name a moderate MOP receptor agonisrs
codeine
name a mixed agonist-antagonist of MOP receptor
buprenorphine
name an MOP receptor antagonists
naloxone
uses of morphine (oral/IV/IM/PR)
- Analgesia – severe pain
- Long-standing pain when weaker painkillers no longer work