image: Bilorphin (red) bound to the mu opioid receptor (wheat) in membrane. view more
Credit: Image courtesy of Richard B. Sessions
Researchers report 3 peptides isolated from a species of the fungus Penicillium found in an Australian estuary that contain naturally formed amino acids exhibiting mirror image structures rarely seen in amino acids in nature; based on the peptides' structures, the researchers developed bilorphin and bilactorphin, analgesics that act on opioid receptors but through a different signaling pathway than traditional opioid medications, suggesting that the analgesics might pave the way toward the development of drugs for effective pain management with few adverse side effects.
Article #19-08662: "A tetrapeptide class of biased analgesics from an Australian fungus targets the μ-opioid receptor," by Zoltan Dekan et al.
MEDIA CONTACT: MacDonald J. Christie, University of Sydney, AUSTRALIA; e-mail: mac.christie@sydney.edu.au
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Journal
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences