Nature medicine
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Inflammatory pain, such as arthritis pain, is a growing health problem. Inflammatory pain is generally treated with opioids and cyclooxygenase (COX) inhibitors, but both are limited by side effects. Recently, resolvins, a unique family of lipid mediators, including RvE1 and RvD1 derived from omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid, have shown marked potency in treating disease conditions associated with inflammation. ⋯ RvE1 also abolishes transient receptor potential vanilloid subtype-1 (TRPV1)- and TNF-alpha-induced excitatory postsynaptic current increases and TNF-alpha-evoked N-methyl-D-aspartic acid (NMDA) receptor hyperactivity in spinal dorsal horn neurons via inhibition of the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) signaling pathway. Thus, we show a previously unknown role for resolvins in normalizing the spinal synaptic plasticity that has been implicated in generating pain hypersensitivity. Given the potency of resolvins and the well-known side effects of opioids and COX inhibitors, resolvins may represent new analgesics for treating inflammatory pain.