Light-activated opioid painkiller may work without dangerous side effects
Opioid painkillers are some of the strongest analgesic medicines, but they are also the riskiest owing to a range of side effects, including addiction. An experimental opioid painkiller designed to be reversibly switched on and off with different light frequencies, keeping its action local and out of the brain, may eliminate the dangerous side effects of current opioids, according to a study led…
A groundbreaking opioid painkiller, AM-3, may offer a safer alternative to traditional opioids by using light to control its pain-killing effects, according to a study published in Cell on October 15. Developed by researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine and the University of Pennsylvania, AM-3 is a morphine-based compound that changes its shape in response to specific light frequencies.
This light-switching mechanism allows the drug to activate the mu-opioid receptor, the primary target of opioid painkillers, only where needed, reducing the risk of side effects such as addiction, tolerance, and respiratory suppression. In preclinical pain models, including cancer and visceral pain, AM-3, when activated by near-ultraviolet light, provided pain relief with minimal side effects, while blue light reduced its potency.
The researchers aim to continue developing AM-3 through further preclinical testing and potential clinical trials, hoping to overcome challenges such as the drug's sensitivity to ultraviolet light, which can damage eyes and skin.
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