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Opiorphin is a chemical compound isolated from human saliva. Initial research with mice shows the compound has a painkilling effect of up to six times that of morphine. It works by stopping the normal breakdown of natural pain-killing opioids in the spine, called enkephalins. It is a relatively simple molecule that should be possible to replicate and synthesize in large quantities.[1][2][3][4]
[edit] References
- ^ Wisner, Anne; Evelyne Dufour, Michaël Messaoudi, Amine Nejdi, Audrey Marcel, Marie-Noelle Ungeheuer, and Catherine Rougeot (November 13, 2006). "Human Opiorphin, a natural antinociceptive modulator of opioid-dependent pathways". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 103: 17979. doi:10.1073/pnas.0605865103.
- ^ Andy Coghlan. "Natural-born painkiller found in human saliva", New Scientist, November 13, 2006.
- ^ "Natural chemical 'beats morphine'", BBC News, November 14,2006.
- ^ Mary Beckman. "Prolonging Painkillers", ScienceNOW, November 13, 2006.
