Frank Porreca, PhD

Associate Department Head, Pharmacology
Member of the Graduate Faculty
Professor, Anesthesiology
Professor, Cancer Biology - GIDP
Professor, Neuroscience - GIDP
Professor, Pharmacology

Contact Information

Office: 562
Building: Life Sciences North
Phone: (520) 626-7421

Email: frankp@arizona.edu

 

Publications

2023

Chronic pain recruits hypothalamic dynorphin/kappa opioid receptor signalling to promote wakefulness and vigilance.

Medication overuse headache.

2022

Exploring the neurobiology of the premonitory phase of migraine preclinically - a role for hypothalamic kappa opioid receptors?

Conotoxin contulakin-G engages a neurotensin receptor 2/R-type calcium channel (Cav2.3) pathway to mediate spinal antinociception.

Preclinical assessment of onabotulinumtoxinA for the treatment of mild traumatic brain injury-related acute and persistent post-traumatic headache.

A prolactin-dependent sexually dimorphic mechanism of migraine chronification.

Cutaneous heat and light-induced pain thresholds in post-traumatic headache attributed to mild traumatic brain injury.

Dysregulation of serum prolactin links the hypothalamus with female nociceptors to promote migraine.

Kappa Opioid Receptor Blockade in the Amygdala Mitigates Pain Like-Behaviors by Inhibiting Corticotropin Releasing Factor Neurons in a Rat Model of Functional Pain.

Editorial: Chronic orofacial pain.

2021

Decreased dopaminergic inhibition of pyramidal neurons in anterior cingulate cortex maintains chronic neuropathic pain.

2019

Development and Characterization of An Injury-free Model of Functional Pain in Rats by Exposure to Red Light.

2017

Recent Advances in the Realm of Allosteric Modulators for Opioid Receptors for Future Therapeutics.

Long-lasting antinociceptive effects of green light in acute and chronic pain in rats.

2016

Various modifications of the amphipathic dynorphin A pharmacophore for rat brain bradykinin receptors.

Structure-Activity Relationships of [des-Arg(7)]Dynorphin A Analogues at the κ Opioid Receptor.

Cyclic non-opioid dynorphin A analogues for the bradykinin receptors.

(S)-Lacosamide inhibition of CRMP2 phosphorylation reduces postoperative and neuropathic pain behaviors through distinct classes of sensory neurons identified by constellation pharmacology.

Enkephalin analogues with N-phenyl-N-(piperidin-2-ylmethyl)propionamide derivatives: Synthesis and biological evaluations.

Discovery of Stable Non-opioid Dynorphin A Analogues Interacting at the Bradykinin Receptors for the Treatment of Neuropathic Pain.

2015

Discovery of 5-substituted tetrahydronaphthalen-2yl-methyl with N-phenyl-N-(piperidin-4-yl)propionamide derivatives as potent opioid receptor ligands.

Design and synthesis of novel bivalent ligands (MOR and DOR) by conjugation of enkephalin analogues with 4-anilidopiperidine derivatives.

Discovery of Novel Multifunctional Ligands with μ/δ Opioid Agonist/Neurokinin-1 (NK1) Antagonist Activities for the Treatment of Pain.

Modification of amphipathic non-opioid dynorphin A analogues for rat brain bradykinin receptors.

Endogenous adenosine A3 receptor activation selectively alleviates persistent pain states.

Blockade of non-opioid excitatory effects of spinal dynorphin A at bradykinin receptors.

2014

Neuropathic plasticity in the opioid and non-opioid actions of dynorphin A fragments and their interactions with bradykinin B2 receptors on neuronal activity in the rat spinal cord.

Structure-activity relationships of non-opioid [des-Arg(7)]-dynorphin A analogues for bradykinin receptors.

Discovery of amphipathic dynorphin A analogues to inhibit the neuroexcitatory effects of dynorphin A through bradykinin receptors in the spinal cord.

2013

Truncation of the peptide sequence in bifunctional ligands with mu and delta opioid receptor agonist and neurokinin 1 receptor antagonist activities.

Building a better analgesic: multifunctional compounds that address injury-induced pathology to enhance analgesic efficacy while eliminating unwanted side effects.

Effect of anchoring 4-anilidopiperidines to opioid peptides.

Disease modification of breast cancer-induced bone remodeling by cannabinoid 2 receptor agonists.

2012

Structure-activity relationships of trimethoxybenzyl piperazine N-type calcium channel inhibitors.

Mechanisms of Bv8-induced biphasic hyperalgesia: increased excitatory transmitter release and expression.

2011

Synthesis and biological evaluation of new opioid agonist and neurokinin-1 antagonist bivalent ligands.

Novel peptide ligands with dual acting pharmacophores designed for the pathophysiology of neuropathic pain.

Development of potent μ and δ opioid agonists with high lipophilicity.

Discovery of a potent and efficacious peptide derivative for δ/μ opioid agonist/neurokinin 1 antagonist activity with a 2',6'-dimethyl-L-tyrosine: in vitro, in vivo, and NMR-based structural studies.

Inhibition of p38-MAPK signaling pathway attenuates breast cancer induced bone pain and disease progression in a murine model of cancer-induced bone pain.

2010

Spinal or systemic TY005, a peptidic opioid agonist/neurokinin 1 antagonist, attenuates pain with reduced tolerance.

2009

Novel bifunctional peptides as opioid agonists and NK-1 antagonists.

2008

Novel D-amino acid tetrapeptides produce potent antinociception by selectively acting at peripheral kappa-opioid receptors.