- No drug has ever rivaled morphine’s efficient pain-numbing qualities
- But after decades of research a US team claims to have ‘breakthrough’
- PZM21, a compound, attaches itself to nerve receptors like morphine
- But it does not have deadly side-effects and is not addictive, they say
Mia De Graaf For Dailymail.com
7
View
comments
Morphine may finally be sidelined in favor of a new safer painkiller, scientists claim.
Researchers have spent decades searching for a safer non-addictive alternative to the potentially lethal opium.
Despite its dangers, no other drug has ever rivaled its efficient pain-numbing qualities.
But this week, a new study has identified a compound that could do the trick – without the lethal side-effects.
Researchers have spent decades searching for a safer non-addictive alternative to the potentially lethal opium – to no avail. But a new study claims to have made a breakthrough
A team at the University of California at San Francisco found PZM21 effectively blocked pain by attaching itself to the same molecular receptor ‘switch’ targeted by morphine.
It did not share the same deadly side effects as morphine, especially suppressing breathing in higher doses.
Scientists also believe the drug is unlikely to be addictive – a major problem associated with morphine and other opioid drugs such as heroin.
-
Would you leave YOUR body to science? Medical schools reveal…
‘She looked like an alien when she was born’: Baby girl…
If successful, the discovery could be a lifeline for millions of people amid a rapidly worsening painkiller-addiction epidemic in the United States.
Morphine, a natural extract of the opium poppy first isolated in the 19th century, revolutionized medicine and surgery with its extraordinary ability to dull pain.
However, the drug has to be administered with great care and can easily kill by interfering with breathing.
Professor Brian Shoichet, from the University of California at San Francisco, US, who co-led the new research, said: ‘Morphine transformed medicine.
HOW MORPHINE WORKS
Morphine binds with receptors on the surface of nerve cells.
When that happens, there is a chain reaction along the cell, gradually numbing it so it is not so sensitive to pain.
The cell’s reactions become slow, meaning they take too long to pass pain signals through the body for it to be felt.
The drug also taps into the brain, slowing down perception skills, making the patient monumentally drowsy.
Too much can overwhelm the body, ultimately killing the patient.
It can also cause other issues, such as constipation (by slowing the receptors in the gut) and breathing problems (by targeting the lungs).
‘There are so many medical procedures we can do now because we know we can control the pain afterwards. But it’s obviously dangerous too.
‘People have been searching for a safer replacement for standard opioids for decades.’
The international scientists adopted an unusual drug discovery approach by avoiding the normal trial-and-error method of screening different compounds.
They started with the ‘mu opioid receptor’, the brain cell molecule through which morphine operates.
Molecules of morphine fit the receptor like a key in a three-dimensional lock, triggering a signalling process that causes a cascade of effects.
To find a molecule that bound to the receptor in just the way they wanted, the researchers used powerful computer software to simulate different configurations of millions of drug candidates.
Over a period of two weeks, the team performed roughly four trillion of these ‘virtual experiments’.
In the end, they had a shortlist of 23 candidates.
Further tests identified one especially promising molecule, whose chemical potency was then boosted 1000-fold to produce PZM21.
More work is needed to confirm that the drug is safe in humans and truly non-addictive, say the scientists, whose findings are published in the journal Nature.
They claim the new drug could be a game-changer in pain management and provide a solution to the major problem of painkiller addiction.
Share or comment on this article
-
e-mail
Most watched News videos
-
Ryan Lochte enters athletes’ village after gunpoint robbery -
Well endowed pole vaulter suffers unfortunate Olympic mishap -
Strange creature spotted in the desert before disappearing -
Watch incredible moment Shaunae Miller dives to win gold -
This is the moment a tiger saves man from a leopard attack -
911 audio of a neighbor who was attacked by Austin Harrouff -
Michelle Jenneke does signature warm up routine at Rio Olympics -
US and New Zealand runners help each other after fall in 5000m -
Olympic belly flop from Malaysian diver Ahmad Amsyar Azman -
Dick Van Dyke surprises diners with ‘Chitty Chitty Bang Bang’ -
Michelle Jenneke’s internet sensation warm up dance -
Shocking racist diatribe by bikini-clad woman caught on camera
-
Is zombie drug Flakka behind cannibal frat boy attack?…
-
The only time a man wishes he had a SMALLER penis! Japanese…
-
How one US college has won nearly as many medals as Brazil!…
-
Brady Bunch actress Eve Plumb sells the $3.9m Malibu home…
-
What robbery? Brazilian police say Ryan Lochte’s wallet was…
-
Mother and boyfriend are arrested after girl, four, who was…
-
Dramatic moment a zookeeper is saved from a charging leopard…
-
EXCLUSIVE: Shaken Ryan Lochte seen in new security footage…
-
The rise and rise of Johnny Manziel’s sister: As disgraced…
-
Is this the saddest gold medallist at the Games? North…
-
Yachting with the enemy: Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner take…
-
Pictured: The black cop who shot dead repeat offender…
Comments (6)
Share what you think
-
Newest -
Oldest -
Best rated -
Worst rated
The comments below have not been moderated.
The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.
Find out now