Interleukin-2 (IL-2) was found to have an analgesic effect in both central and peripheral nervous systems. This effect is related to opioid receptors and mediated mainly by IL-2 directly binding to opioid receptors. Using radioimmunoassay, the content of Leu-enkephalin (LEK) in some nuclei were measured at intervals after the injection of IL-2 into the lateral ventricle of rats. Levels of LEK increased in both paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus (PVN) and locus ceruleus (LOC) after IL-2 admistration, suggesting that the analgesic effect of IL-2 is also related to the change of LEK in PVN and LOC induced by IL-2 administration.
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Jiang et al. (2000) studied this question.
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