The Nociceptin Receptor
The Nociceptin Receptor, also known as the orphanin FQ receptor, is a member of the G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) family, encoding the gene OPRL1. It is mainly located in the central nervous system (brain, spinal cord), immune cells, cardiovascular tissues, etc. Its core function is to specifically bind to the endogenous ligand pain peptide (N/OFQ), initiating intracellular signaling pathways to regulate physiological processes.
The main function of the Nociceptin Receptor
The core lies in regulating the physiological functions of multiple systems by binding to endogenous ligand pain-sensing peptides (N/OFQ), and the effect is tissue-specific:
1. Pain regulation: Bidirectional regulation of pain perception - It may inhibit pain signal transmission at the spinal cord level (analgesia), and enhance pain sensitivity in brain regions or inflammatory sites (pain induction), serving as a key "switch" in the pain mechanism.
2. Emotion and Behavior Regulation: It is involved in anxiety, depression-like behaviors, learning and memory, as well as stress responses. Its activation may exacerbate anxiety or depression phenotypes, providing therapeutic targets for the mechanisms of mental disorders.
3. Addiction and substance dependence: Associated with opioid addiction (such as morphine), it can regulate drug withdrawal reactions and is an important target for the development of anti-addiction drugs.
4. Other physiological functions: involving immune cell activation, appetite regulation, cardiovascular homeostasis (such as blood pressure control), and neurodevelopment, etc.
Research application scenarios
As a key target of the G protein-coupled receptor family, it is widely used in basic scientific research and drug development:
1. Research in the field of pain:
-Investigate the pathogenesis of chronic pain (e.g., neuropathic pain), and clarify its role in pain signaling pathways by detecting receptor expression levels (e.g., via ELISA) or performing gene knockout/overexpression.
-Develop novel analgesic drugs: Design selective agonists or antagonists targeting OPRL1 to circumvent the addiction risk associated with traditional opioid drugs.
2. Research on Mental Disorders and Addiction:
-Investigate the pathogenesis of anxiety disorders, depression and schizophrenia, and analyze the changes in receptor expression in relevant brain regions (e.g., the hippocampus and amygdala).
-Develop anti-addiction drugs: Alleviate dependence on and withdrawal symptoms of opioid drugs, alcohol or nicotine by regulating the OPRL1 signaling pathway.
3. Applications in other fields:
- Immunomodulatory research: Explore its expression in immune cells (such as macrophages, T cells), and analyze its impact on inflammatory responses or autoimmune diseases.
- Drug development and screening: As drug targets, it is used for high-throughput screening of compounds with specific binding capabilities and evaluation of their pharmacological activities (such as through receptor binding experiments at the cellular level).
For relevant (OPRL1) kits, please refer to
Wuxi Donglin Sci & Tech Development Co.,Ltd. (dldevelop.com.cn)
The main function of the Nociceptin Receptor
The core lies in regulating the physiological functions of multiple systems by binding to endogenous ligand pain-sensing peptides (N/OFQ), and the effect is tissue-specific:
1. Pain regulation: Bidirectional regulation of pain perception - It may inhibit pain signal transmission at the spinal cord level (analgesia), and enhance pain sensitivity in brain regions or inflammatory sites (pain induction), serving as a key "switch" in the pain mechanism.
2. Emotion and Behavior Regulation: It is involved in anxiety, depression-like behaviors, learning and memory, as well as stress responses. Its activation may exacerbate anxiety or depression phenotypes, providing therapeutic targets for the mechanisms of mental disorders.
3. Addiction and substance dependence: Associated with opioid addiction (such as morphine), it can regulate drug withdrawal reactions and is an important target for the development of anti-addiction drugs.
4. Other physiological functions: involving immune cell activation, appetite regulation, cardiovascular homeostasis (such as blood pressure control), and neurodevelopment, etc.
Research application scenarios
As a key target of the G protein-coupled receptor family, it is widely used in basic scientific research and drug development:
1. Research in the field of pain:
-Investigate the pathogenesis of chronic pain (e.g., neuropathic pain), and clarify its role in pain signaling pathways by detecting receptor expression levels (e.g., via ELISA) or performing gene knockout/overexpression.
-Develop novel analgesic drugs: Design selective agonists or antagonists targeting OPRL1 to circumvent the addiction risk associated with traditional opioid drugs.
2. Research on Mental Disorders and Addiction:
-Investigate the pathogenesis of anxiety disorders, depression and schizophrenia, and analyze the changes in receptor expression in relevant brain regions (e.g., the hippocampus and amygdala).
-Develop anti-addiction drugs: Alleviate dependence on and withdrawal symptoms of opioid drugs, alcohol or nicotine by regulating the OPRL1 signaling pathway.
3. Applications in other fields:
- Immunomodulatory research: Explore its expression in immune cells (such as macrophages, T cells), and analyze its impact on inflammatory responses or autoimmune diseases.
- Drug development and screening: As drug targets, it is used for high-throughput screening of compounds with specific binding capabilities and evaluation of their pharmacological activities (such as through receptor binding experiments at the cellular level).
For relevant (OPRL1) kits, please refer to
Wuxi Donglin Sci & Tech Development Co.,Ltd. (dldevelop.com.cn)
