match the following ligands with their primary receptor target (morphine, heroin, beta-endorpin, enkephalin, Salvinorin A, dynorphin)

Question

match the following ligands with their primary receptor target (morphine, heroin, beta-endorpin, enkephalin, Salvinorin A, dynorphin)

Answer 1

Each ligand listed above acts as an agonist at opioid receptors and are involved (to varying degrees) in the analgesic effects of opioid receptor activation. There are three classes of opioid receptors: mu (MOR), delta (DOR), and kappa (KOR).

The endogenous opioids listed above, beta-endorphine's, enkephalin's, and dynorphins, show their greatest preference for the subtypes MOR, MOR, and KOR, respectively.

The exogenous opioids, morphine and heroin, also show preference for the MOR, which is said to be the most relevant receptor to target for clinical usefulness. Conversely, targeting MOR is believed to lead to higher abuse potential and rapid tolerance development. The last exogenous opioid is Salvinorin A, whose primary target is KOR. KOR activation is thought to lead to dysphoria and produce hallucinations and other perceptual changes.