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Neuropsychopharmacological understanding for therapeutic application of morphinans

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Abstract

Morphinans are a class of compounds containing the basic structure of morphine. It is well-known that morphinans possess diverse pharmacological effects on the central nervous system. This review will demonstrate novel neuroprotective effects of several morphinans such as, dextromethorphan, its analogs and naloxone on the models of multiple neurodegenerative disease by modulating glial activation associated with the production of a host of proinflammatory and neurotoxic factors, although dextromethorphan possesses neuropsycotoxic potentials. The neuroprotective effects and the therapeutic potential for the treatment of excitotoxic and inflammatory neurodegenerative diseases, and underlying mechanism of morphinans are discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Neuropsychopharmacology and Toxicology Program, College of Pharmacy, Kangwon National University, Chunchon, 200-701, Korea

    Eun-Joo Shin & Hyoung-Chun Kim

  2. Neuropharmacology Section, Laboratory of Pharmacology and Chemistry, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, 27709, USA

    Jau-Shyong Hong

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  1. Eun-Joo Shin
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  2. Jau-Shyong Hong
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  3. Hyoung-Chun Kim
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Correspondence to Hyoung-Chun Kim.

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Shin, EJ., Hong, JS. & Kim, HC. Neuropsychopharmacological understanding for therapeutic application of morphinans. Arch. Pharm. Res. 33, 1575–1587 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12272-010-1009-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12272-010-1009-4

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