User profiles for Mei-Chuan Ko

Mei-Chuan Ko

Professor of Physiology & Pharmacology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine
Verified email at wakehealth.edu
Cited by 5440

The therapeutic potential of nociceptin/orphanin FQ receptor agonists as analgesics without abuse liability

AP Lin, MC Ko - ACS chemical neuroscience, 2013 - ACS Publications
Although mu opioid (MOP) receptor agonists are the most commonly used analgesics for the
treatment of moderate to severe pain in the clinic, the side effects of MOP agonists such as …

Therapeutic potentials of NOP and MOP receptor coactivation for the treatment of pain and opioid abuse

N Kiguchi, H Ding, MC Ko - Journal of neuroscience research, 2022 - Wiley Online Library
Following the identification of the nociceptin/orphanin FQ (N/OFQ) peptide (NOP) as an
endogenous ligand for the NOP receptor, ample evidence has revealed unique functional …

Neuraxial opioid-induced itch and its pharmacological antagonism

MC Ko - Pharmacology of Itch, 2015 - Springer
Given its profound analgesic nature, neuraxial opioids are frequently used for pain management.
Unfortunately, the high incident rate of itch/pruritus after spinal administration of opioid …

STING controls nociception via type I interferon signalling in sensory neurons

…, J Zhao, X Luo, MS Lee, YL Lei, W Maixner, MC Ko… - Nature, 2021 - nature.com
The innate immune regulator STING is a critical sensor of self- and pathogen-derived DNA.
DNA sensing by STING leads to the induction of type-I interferons (IFN-I) and other cytokines, …

[PDF][PDF] IL-23/IL-17A/TRPV1 axis produces mechanical pain via macrophage-sensory neuron crosstalk in female mice

…, J Ji, SH Lee, Y Huh, K Furutani, Q He, X Tao, MC Ko… - Neuron, 2021 - cell.com
Although sex dimorphism is increasingly recognized as an important factor in pain, female-specific
pain signaling is not well studied. Here we report that administration of IL-23 …

Most efficient cocaine hydrolase designed by virtual screening of transition states

F Zheng, W Yang, MC Ko, J Liu, H Cho… - Journal of the …, 2008 - ACS Publications
Cocaine is recognized as the most reinforcing of all drugs of abuse. There is no anticocaine
medication available. The disastrous medical and social consequences of cocaine addiction …

[HTML][HTML] Epithelia-sensory neuron cross talk underlies cholestatic itch induced by lysophosphatidylcholine

…, AE Kremer, JY Zhang, A Nackley, TE Reeves, MC Ko… - Gastroenterology, 2021 - Elsevier
… Wild-type (WT), C57bl/6j), Trpv1, Trpa1, and Tlr7 knockout (KO) mice were from The
Jackson Laboratory (Bar Harbor, ME). Trpv4 KO mice were generated in our laboratory. Pirt-…

A bifunctional nociceptin and mu opioid receptor agonist is analgesic without opioid side effects in nonhuman primates

…, PW Czoty, S Kishioka, NT Zaveri, MC Ko - Science translational …, 2018 - science.org
Misuse of prescription opioids, opioid addiction, and overdose underscore the urgent need
for developing addiction-free effective medications for treating severe pain. Mu opioid …

PD-L1/PD-1 checkpoint pathway regulates hippocampal neuronal excitability and learning and memory behavior

…, CR Donnelly, Q He, ML James, M Berger, MC Ko… - Neuron, 2023 - cell.com
Programmed death protein 1 (PD-1) and its ligand PD-L1 constitute an immune checkpoint
pathway. We report that neuronal PD-1 signaling regulates learning/memory in health and …

A novel orvinol analog, BU08028, as a safe opioid analgesic without abuse liability in primates

…, MA Nader, SM Husbands, MC Ko - Proceedings of the …, 2016 - National Acad Sciences
Despite the critical need, no previous research has substantiated safe opioid analgesics
without abuse liability in primates. Recent advances in medicinal chemistry have led to the …