ABSTRACT-Endomorphins (EMs) are newly found endogenous opioid peptides. Both endomorphin-1 (EM-1) and -2 (EM-2) are composed of four amino acids. Their high affinity and specificity for m-opioid receptors have been confirmed by many physiological and pharmacological studies. In the present minireview, we discuss the distribution and localization of these peptides. While EM-2 is more prevalent in the spinal cord and lower brainstem, EM-1 is more widely and densely distributed throughout the brain than EM-2. We also discuss the possible coexistence of EM with other neurotransmitters. Finally, we introduce some new results regarding the ultrastructure and synaptic relationships of EM-2 obtained by the immunoelectron microscopic method.Keywords: Endomorphin, Distribution, Coexistence, Ultrastructure, SynapseEndomorphin-1 (Tyr-Pro-Trp-Phe-NH2, EM-1) and endomorphin-2 (Tyr-Pro-Phe-Phe-NH2, EM-2) are endogenous agonists for the m-opioid receptors (MOP-R) first isolated from bovine (1) and then from human brain cortex (2). Endomorphins (EMs) activate G-proteins (3 -6) and inhibit calcium (7,8) and activate potassium (9) channels. The peptides have been reported to be involved in many physiological phenomena, including pain modulation (1, 10 -14), feeding responses (15), oxygen consumption (16), blood pressure regulation (17 -19) and modulation of endocrine function (20,21). EMs are the only endogenous peptides that exhibit high affinity and selectivity for MOP-R. In addition, EM-1 is the first agonist for MOP-R shown to produce profound potent analgesia in the absence of reward behavior, indicating significant clinical potential (22). For these reasons, the morphological study of the endomorphinergic neurons in the central nervous system is of extraordinary interest. EM-1 has been shown to be the predominant form in the brain, while EM-2 is predominant in the spinal cord (23). We discuss them separately and then discuss the relationship to MOP-R. We also report some recent findings concerning the ultrastructure and synaptic relationships of the EM-2-like immunoreactive (EM2-LI) neuronal processes in the dorsal horn of the spinal cord.
The distribution of the EM2-LI neurons in the central nervous systemThe first paper on the distribution of the EM2-LI neurons was published in 1997 (24) soon after the discovery of this peptide (1). In the first paper, the EM2-LI varicose fibers were reported in a long, narrow region, extending from the open medulla oblongata to the lowest level of the sacral spinal cord. Most of these immunoreactive fibers were distributed in the superficial laminae of the spinal dorsal horn and the entire region of the spinal trigeminal tract. The nucleus of the solitary tract, the parasolitary nucleus, the lateral reticular nucleus, and the nucleus ambiguus were also reported as containing EM2-LI fibers (24). Subsequently, the distribution of the EM2-LI fibers in the spinal cord was confirmed many times and by different laboratories (23, 25 -30). Similarly, many studies contributed data concerning the a...