Exercise for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention and Treatment From Molecular to Clinical, Part 1

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opioid receptors subtypes, whereas treating animals with nonselective (naloxone)

and selective delta opioid receptor antagonist (naltrindole) abolished it (as seen

in Fig. 10.5).

The protective effects of delta opioid receptor may be linked to the activation of

PKC, which, in turn, opens sarcolemma/mitochondrial KAT P channels [ 116 ], and

triggers the cascade described in the previous section. Therefore, through a PKC-

KAT P channel pathway, delta opioid receptors would reduce mitochondrial electron

chain damage, oxidative stress, MPTP opening and morphological changes in mito-

chondria [ 107 ].

Fig. 10.5 Infarct size after
ischemia reperfusion injury
following non-selective (a)
and selective (b) opioid
receptor antagonists. CT
(control group); Exe
(exercised group);
Exe + Nal (non-specific
antagonist group);
Exe + KOR (kappa opioid
receptor antagonist group);
Exe + MOR (mu opioid
receptor antagonist group);
and Exe + DOR (delta
opioid receptor antagonist
group). * P < 0.05 vs. CT
(Source: DOI 10.1371/
journal.pone.0113541.
g002)

J.P. Borges and K. da Silva Verdoorn