The painless synergism of aspirin and opium

John T. Williams ()
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John T. Williams: the Vollum Institute

Nature, 1997, vol. 390, issue 6660, 557-559

Abstract: Why is the combination of aspirin and opioids more analgesic than the summed effect of each drug given separately? The answer lies in the specific inhibition of neurotransmitter release by non-steroidal, anti-inflammatory analgesics. Activation of the μ opioid receptor leads to the production of arachidonic acid, which can be metabolized through three enzymatic pathways, leading to the release of neurotransmitter. But researchers now have found that two of the pathways can be blocked by analgesics, so neurotransmitter release (and ‘painful’ signals) are inhibited.

Date: 1997
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DOI: 10.1038/37486

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