β-Endorphins are peptides that exert a wide variety of effects throughout the body. Produced
through the cleavage pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC), β-endorphins are the primarily agonist …

Long known for its anti-nociceptive effects, the opioid β-endorphin is also reported to have
rewarding and reinforcing properties and to be involved in stress response. In this …

A role for β-endorphin (β-END) in the pathophysiology of major depressive disorder (MDD)
is suggested by both animal research and studies examining clinical populations. The major …

Psychological stress is a state of mental or emotional strain or tension that results from
adverse or demanding circumstances. Chronic stress is well known to induce anxiety …

Although drugs of abuse have different acute mechanisms of action, their brain pathways of
reward exhibit common functional effects upon both acute and chronic administration. Long …

Beta-endorphins are primarily synthesized and stored in the anterior pituitary gland2 from
their precursor protein proopiomelanocortin (POMC). However, recent studies suggest cells …

Human opiorphin protects enkephalins from degradation by human neutral endopeptidase
and aminopeptidase-N and inhibits pain perception in various behavioral rodent models of …

Stress and anxiety are mainly regulated by amygdala and hypothalamic circuitries involving
several neurotransmitter systems and providing physiological responses to peripheral …

This paper is the thirty-ninth consecutive installment of the annual review of research
concerning the endogenous opioid system. It summarizes papers published during 2016 …

Regulations of hormonal stress responses entail the initiation, amplitude and termination of
the reaction, as well as its integration with other stress response systems. This study …