Modulation of the opioid system has re-emerged as a potential therapeutic avenue for treating depression, with efficacy of a fixed-dose combination of buprenorphine (BUP), a partial μ-opioid receptor (MOR) agonist and κ-opioid receptor (KOR) antagonist, and samidorphan (SAM), a potent MOR antagonist, as an adjuvant treatment in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD).
The aim of the present study was to examine the relation between β-Endorphin (β-EP), Endomorphin-2, and their mu-opioid receptor (MOR) as well as interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-10, an anti-inflammatory cytokine, in MDD patients.
Our results may implicate the MOR in neuropsychiatric disorders characterized by altered social motivation, such as major depression and autism spectrum disorder.
In this study, we examined whether the OPRM1 gene, which has been implicated in antidepressant treatment response in major depressive disorder, also has an effect in GAD.