The immune system and the peripheral sensory nervous system communicate through
hardwired and humoral routes using shared mediators and receptors. On the basis of …

Despite being the mainstay of pain management, opioids are limited in their clinical utility by
adverse effects, such as tolerance and paradoxical hyperalgesia. Research of the past 15 …

Pain can be effectively diminished by various endogenous mechanisms within the central
nervous system. One region where these mechanisms have been well characterized is the …

Pain control (PC) in laboratory animals is supported by ethical as well as methodological
considerations, aimed at preventing an interfering reduction in food and water intake and …

It has been shown that inflammation of rat paws elicits accumulation of opioid peptide β-
endorphin-containing immune cells in the inflamed subcutaneous tissue, contributing to …

This chapter reviews the expression and regulation of opioid receptors in sensory neurons
and the interactions of these receptors with endogenous and exogenous opioid ligands …

Opioid compounds such as morphine produce powerful analgesia that is effective in treating
various types of pain. In addition to their therapeutic efficacy, opioids can produce several …

Exogenous and endogenous opioids have been shown to modulate the immune system.
Morphine-induced immunosuppression has been investigated extensively. However, the …

This chapter suggests that endogenous opiates can modulate immune functions, not only as
regulation by the nervous/neuroendocrine systems, but as autoregulatory factors derived …

Physiological pain serves as a warning of exposure to danger and prompts us to withdraw
from noxious stimuli to prevent tissue damage. Pain can also alert us of an infection or organ …