Immunohistochemical analysis of opioid receptors in peripheral tissues.

Abstract

Immunohistochemical staining is widely used to identify opioid receptors in specific cell types or anatomical structures throughout the nervous system. Opioid receptors are not restricted to the central nervous system, but are also present in peripheral sensory neurons, where their activation exerts analgesic effects without inducing centrally mediated side effects. Here, we describe immunohistochemical analysis of opioid receptors in the peripheral sensory neuron cell bodies, along the axons and their peripheral endings in the hind paw skin, as well as in the spinal cord, under naïve and sciatic nerve damage conditions in mice. Moreover, we consider the current debate on the specificity of antibodies.