Ansam Hussein Ali
, Hanan Shihab Ahmed, Alyaa Salih Jawad, Mohammed Ahmed Mustafa
1-Department of Immediate Aid، Northern Institute University–Al -Dour Institute Technical
2-Department of Medical Laboratory Techniques, College of Technology, University of Imam Jafar Al-Sadiq Dujail
mohammed.alsad3@ gmail.com
Article History: Received: Feb 1, 2021 / Revised: Mar 4, 2021/ Accepted: Mar 14, 2021
Abstract
Endorphins are chemicals naturally produced by the nervous system to manage pain or stress. They are often called “feel-good” chemicals because they act as a pain reliever and happiness booster. The exact mechanism of endorphins can be perceived through development in the peripheral nervous system (PNS) and the CNS through two distinct features. The illusion of pain relief in the PNS is produced by beta-endorphins that bind to opioid receptors. In the CNS, mu-opioid receptors are more abundant in descending pain control circuits including the amygdala, mesencephalic reticular formation, periaqueductal gray matter (PAG), and rostral ventral medulla. As for the Endorphins functions, they are found in high concentrations in certain regions of the brain that help in the transmission of pain sensations, breathing, motor activity, secretion of pituitary hormones, and mood. The relationship between the secretion of endorphins and the stimulating adrenal cortex hormone came through behavioral studies that indicated that stress increases the concentrations of endorphins in the blood and brain. With parallel changes in the pain threshold. Histochemical studies suggest that opiates have important relationships with cells that contain noradrenaline and cells that contain dopamine.
Keywords Endorphins, pain, hormones, periaqueductal gray matter (PAG), and rostral ventral medulla
How to cite this article
Ali, A.H., Ahmed, H.S., Jawad, A.S., Mustafa, M.A. (2021). Endorphin: function and mechanism of action. Science Archives, Vol. 2 (1), 9-13. http://dx.doi.org/10.47587/SA.2021.2102
Copyright
This is an open-access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
References
Adeodu, O.O., Olorunmoteni, O.E., Oseni, S.B.A.,Obuotor, E.M. (2018). Plasma and Cerebrospinal Fluid Beta-Endorphin Levels Show a Strong Association in Children with Cerebral Malaria. J Pediatr Neurosci. 13(4),416-422.
Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham. October 15, (2018) https://www.amrita.edu/news/hormones-and-chemicals-linked-our-emotion.
Bali, A., Singh, N., & Singh Jaggi, A. (2014). Neuropeptides as therapeutic targets to combat stress-associated behavioral and neuroendocrinological effects. CNS & Neurological Disorders-Drug Targets (Formerly Current Drug Targets-CNS & Neurological Disorders), 13(2), 347-368.
Berry, J. (2018). Endorphins: Effects and How to Increase Levels. Medical News Today.
Boecker, H., Sprenger, T., Spilker, M. E., Henriksen, G., Koppenhoefer, M., Wagner, K. J., … & Tolle, T. R. (2008). The runner’s high: opioidergic mechanisms in the human brain. Cerebral cortex, 18(11), 2523-2531.\
Borsook, D. (2017). Opioidergic tone and pain susceptibility: interactions between reward systems and opioid receptors. Pain, 158(2), 185.
Bruehl, S., Burns, J. W., Gupta, R., Buvanendran, A., Chont, M., Kinner, E., … & France, C. R. (2013). Endogenous opioid function mediates the association between laboratory-evoked pain sensitivity and morphine analgesic responses. PAIN®, 154(9), 1856-1864.
Chaudhry, S. R., & Gossman, W. (2020). Biochemistry, endorphin. StatPearls
D Rodriguez, F., & Covenas, R. (2011). Targeting opioid and neurokinin-1 receptors to treat alcoholism. Current medicinal chemistry, 18(28), 4321-4334.
Hagelberg, N., Aalto, S., Tuominen, L., Pesonen, U., Någren, K., Hietala, J., … & Martikainen, I. K. (2012). Striatal μ-opioid receptor availability predicts cold pressor pain threshold in healthy human subjects. Neuroscience letters, 521(1), 11-14.
Inagaki, T. K. (2018). Opioids and social connection. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 27(2), 85-90.
Leuenberger, A. (2006). Endorphins, exercise, and addictions: a review of exercise dependence. The Premier Journal for Undergraduate Publications in the Neurosciences, 3, 1-9.
Li, Y., Lefever, M. R., Muthu, D., Bidlack, J. M., Bilsky, E. J., & Polt, R. (2012). Opioid glycopeptide analgesics derived from endogenous enkephalins and endorphins. Future medicinal chemistry, 4(2), 205-226.
Mousa, S. A., Shakibaei, M., Sitte, N., Schäfer, M., & Stein, C. (2004). Subcellular pathways of β-endorphin synthesis, processing, and release from immunocytes in inflammatory pain. Endocrinology, 145(3), 1331-1341.
Mustafa, M. A., & AL-Samarraie, M. Q. (2020). Secondary Menopause and its Relationship to Hormonal Levels among Women at Salah Al-Din Hospital. European Journal of Molecular & Clinical Medicine, 7(9), 96-104.
Mustafa, M. A., AL-Samarraie, M. Q., & Ahmed, M. T. (2020). Molecular techniques of viral diagnosis. Science Archives, 1(3), 89-92.
Olson, K. M., Lei, W., Keresztes, A., LaVigne, J., & Streicher, J. M. (2017). Focus: Drug Development: Novel Molecular Strategies and Targets for Opioid Drug Discovery for the Treatment of Chronic Pain. The Yale journal of biology and medicine, 90(1), 97.
Sharma, A., & Verma, D. (2014). Endorphins: endogenous opioid in human cells. World journal of pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences, 4(1), 357-374.
Shenoy, S. S., & Lui, F. (2018). Biochemistry, Endogenous Opioids. StatPearls. Treasure Island, FL: StatPearls Publishing.
Shrihari, T. G. (2017). Quantum healing approach to new generation of holistic healing. Transl Med, 7(3), 198.
Shrihari, T.G. (2019). Beta-Endorphins: A Novel Anti-Inflammatory Activity”. EC Pharmacology and Toxicology, 7 (6 ), 481 -484.
Sprouse-Blum, A. S., Smith, G., Sugai, D., & Parsa, F. D. (2010). Understanding endorphins and their importance in pain management. Hawaii medical journal, 69(3), 70.
Zhang, C. (2013). Role of Beta-endorphin in control of stress and cancer progression in fetal alcohol exposed rats (Doctoral dissertation, Rutgers University-Graduate School-New Brunswick).
License Article Metadata
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
