Articles: neuralgia.
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Monoclonal antibodies are being investigated for chronic pain to overcome the shortcomings of current treatment options. ⋯ Monoclonal antibodies for chronic pain have the potential to overcome the limitations of current treatment options, but strategies to ensure their appropriate use need to be determined.
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Multicenter Study
Efficacy and Safety of Pregabalin for the Treatment of Neuropathic Pain in Patients Undergoing Hemodialysis.
Pregabalin is a gamma aminobutyric acid derivative administered for neuropathic pain. It binds to α2δ subunits of voltage-dependent calcium channels, and inhibits calcium inflow of synapses and the release of excitatory neurotransmitters. This study investigated the efficacy and safety of pregabalin in patients with peripheral neuropathic pain undergoing maintenance hemodialysis. ⋯ If adverse effects are carefully monitored and the administered dosage prudently determined, pregabalin can be an effective treatment for peripheral neuropathic pain in patients undergoing hemodialysis.
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TRPV1 (transient receptor potential vanilloid subfamily member 1) is a pain signaling channel highly expressed in primary sensory neurons. Attempts for analgesia by systemic TRPV1 blockade produce undesirable side effects, such as hyperthermia and impaired heat pain sensation. One approach for TRPV1 analgesia is to target TRPV1 along the peripheral sensory pathway. ⋯ Selective inhibition of TRPV1 activity in primary sensory neurons by DRG delivery of AAV-encoded analgesic interfering peptide aptamers is efficacious in attenuation of neuropathic pain. With further improvements of vector constructs and in vivo application, this approach might have the potential to develop as an alternative gene therapy strategy to treat chronic pain, especially heat hypersensitivity, without complications due to systemic TRPV1 blockade.
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Neuropathic pain induced by chemotherapy drugs such as oxaliplatin is a dose-limiting side effect in cancer treatment. The mechanisms underlying chemotherapy-induced neuropathic pain are not fully understood. KCNQ2 channels are low-threshold voltage-gated K+ channels that play a role in controlling neuronal excitability. ⋯ Immunostaining is also performed in brainstem and shows strong KCNQ2 immunoreactivity at the trigeminal afferent central terminals innervating the caudal spinal trigeminal nucleus (Vc) in controls, but the KCNQ2 immunoreactivity intensity is significantly reduced in oxaliplatin-treated animals. We further show with the operant behavioral test that oxaliplatin-induced orofacial mechanical allodynia can be alleviated by the KCNQ2 potentiator retigabine. Taken together, these findings suggest that KCNQ2 downregulation may be a cause of oxaliplatin-induced orofacial neuropathic pain and KCNQ2 potentiators may be useful for alleviating the neuropathic pain.
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Neuroimmunomodulation · Jan 2017
Effect of Ceftiofur on Hyperalgesia and Allodynia in a Rat Neuropathic Pain Model: The Role of Immune Processes.
Inflammatory and immune mechanisms play important roles in the pathogenesis of neuropathic pain. Ceftiofur, a third-generation cephalosporin, has anti-inflammatory effects by inhibiting tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-1β, nuclear factor (NF)-κB, and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling. This study aimed to investigate the effect of ceftiofur on hyperalgesia and allodynia in neuropathic rats and to define the possible contribution of immune mechanisms to this effect. ⋯ Ceftiofur has anti-inflammatory effects by decreasing iNOS, IL-1β, and p38 MAPK expression in lumbar spinal cord, and treatment of neuropathic rats with repeated doses of ceftiofur for 14 days results in antihyperalgesic effects.