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.

Editorial: Chronic orofacial pain.

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