New nanomedicines using enkephalins for pain alleviation, overcoming the side effects of morphine and other opioid derivatives – NANOPAINKILL

This study represents a novel and efficient approach for the treatment inflammatory pain, characterized by the design of squalene-based nanomedicines allowing the specific delivery of Leu-Enkephalin (LENK) neuropeptide into inflamed tissues after intravenous administration. The research project is aiming at investigating and answering the following questions: Is it possible to still improve the antinociceptive efficacy by developing new squalene-based NPs with Opiorphin (OPN), an enkephalinase inhibitor, or multidrug squalene-based NPs which combine LENK and OPN together? Do other administration routes result in similar antinociceptive effects after treatment? Is the anti-nociceptive effect of these NPs capable to alleviate other pain episodes, like neuropathic, post-incisional, cancerous bone, pancreatitis etc...? Do these NPs avoid opioid-induced side effects and central sensitization which leads to delayed secondary hyperalgesia, as observed with morphin and its derivatives?