PMID: 8969868Jan 1, 1996Paper

Opiate receptor-mediated mechanisms in the regulation of cerebral blood flow

Cerebrovascular and Brain Metabolism Reviews
Z Benyó, M Wahl

Abstract

Endogenous opioid peptides are present in cerebral perivascular nerves and in the CSF, and their concentrations are changing in response to stimuli that activate regulatory mechanisms of the cerebral circulation (e.g., alterations of the perfusion pressure or changes of the arterial O2 tension). Opiate receptors are expressed in the cells of the CNS and the cerebrovascular bed, and their activation modulates the function of other vasoregulatory mechanisms (i.e., the autonomic nervous system, nitric oxide, prostanoids, vasopressin) that are involved in the control of the cerebrovascular tone. The direct vasomotor effects of opioid peptides and opiates on the cerebral arteries under in vitro or in situ conditions appear to be weak or absent in several species. However, Met- and Leu-enkephalin induce pial arterial vasodilation in the newborn pig. In this species, beta-endorphin acts as a constrictor, whereas dynorphin may induce either dilation or constriction depending on the experimental conditions. The influence of exogenously applied natural and synthetic opioids on the cerebral blood flow (CBF) is determined mainly by their metabolic, neuronal, and respiratory effects. Hypothalamic and pituitary circulations are especially se...Continue Reading

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