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Cutaneous Opioid System

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Sensing the Environment: Regulation of Local and Global Homeostasis by the Skin's Neuroendocrine System

Part of the book series: Advances in Anatomy, Embryology and Cell Biology ((ADVSANAT,volume 212))

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Abstract

Endogenous opioid peptides derive from four different precursor proteins. Proopiomelanocortin (POMC) yields ACTH and endorphins, mainly β-endorphin (β-END). Proenkephalin (PENK) generates enkephalins (ENK), predominantly Met-enkephalin (MENK) and Leu-enkephalin (LENK). The proteolysis of prodynorphin (PDYN) results in the formation of dynorphin A (DYN A) and B (DYN B) (Przewlocki 2004; Przewlocki and Przewlocka 2005). Other POMC derivatives are endomorphins which are the cleavage products of a larger precursor molecule that yet has not been identified (Fichna et al. 2007).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, and Department of Medicine, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN, USA

    Andrzej T. Slominski

  2. Department of Histology, Medical University of Gdansk, Gdansk, Poland

    Michal A. Zmijewski

  3. Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center, Memphis, TN, USA

    Cezary Skobowiat & Blazej Zbytek

  4. University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN, USA

    Radomir M. Slominski

  5. Jagiellonian University Medical College, Krakow, Poland

    Radomir M. Slominski

  6. Department of Pharmacology, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN, USA

    Jeffery D. Steketee

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  1. Andrzej T. Slominski
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Correspondence to Andrzej T. Slominski .

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Slominski, A.T., Zmijewski, M.A., Skobowiat, C., Zbytek, B., Slominski, R.M., Steketee, J.D. (2012). Cutaneous Opioid System. In: Sensing the Environment: Regulation of Local and Global Homeostasis by the Skin's Neuroendocrine System. Advances in Anatomy, Embryology and Cell Biology, vol 212. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-19683-6_10

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-19683-6_10

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