Opiate Receptors

In 1988, Gavril W. Pasternak published the first edition of The Opiate Receptors. Dr. Pasternak is affiliated with the Molecular Pharmacology & Chemistry department at the Sloan-Kettering Institute (Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center).

• You’ve Come a Long Way Baby.- The evolution of concepts of opioid receptors.- Pharmacology of opioid drugs.- Opioid receptors: the early years.- Endogenous opioids.- Molecular biology of mu opioid receptors.- Delta Opioid Receptors.- Kappa opioid receptor gene and the regulatory mechanisms of its protein expression.- Opioid receptor signal transduction mechanisms.- Mu opioid receptor mediated analgesia and reward.- Kappa opioid receptor function.- Delta opioid receptor function.- Genetics of opioid receptor functions in mice.- Opioid receptor trafficking.- Opioid receptor dimerization.- Molecular modulation of in vivo tolerance.- Genetics of opioid actions.

From the reviews of the second edition: "It is intended as a review and reference resource on topics of interest to scientists working in the opioid receptor field. ... would be most appropriate for midlevel graduate students and higher level researchers ... . The book offers a detailed overview and review of 14 different aspects of opioid receptor science ... . an excellent source for a graduate level course on opioid pharmacology, or would serve well as a current reference point on timely issues in this field of research." (Kenneth E. McCarson, Doody's Review Service, June, 2011) "The major goal of this second edition of The Opiate Receptors is to provide insight into the molecular and classical pharmacology of opiates and opioid peptides and to translate this into pharmacological actions. Gavril Pasternak ... does a masterful job of bringing all of this together. ... This book will be a valuable resource for scientists working in the opiate field and for clinicians who are interested in the pharmacological actions of these agents." (Dwight Moulin, Canadian Journal of Neurological Sciences, March, 2012)