Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • News & Views
  • Published:

Sensory neurons are PARtial to pain

Nature Medicine volume 7, pages 772–773 (2001)Cite this article

Recent insights into the receptors expressed by sensory neurons are providing the beginnings of a biological basis for designing therapies to block nociceptive information before it reaches the spinal cord. This approach could potentially avoid some of the side effects in the central nervous system caused by currently available analgesics. (pages 821–826)

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1: Schematic demonstrates elements at the peripheral terminals whereby injury would lead to the degranulation of mast cells, leading to a release of proteinases and pro-inflammatory products.

Bob Crimi

References

  1. Vergnolle, N. et al. Proteinase-activated receptor-2 and hyperalgesia: A novel pain pathway. Nature Med. 7, 821–826 (2001).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. O'Brien, P.J., Molino, M., Kahn, M. & Brass, L.F. Protease activated receptors: theme and variations Oncogene 20, 1570–1581 (2001).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Steinhoff, M. et al. Agonists of proteinase-activated receptor 2 induce inflammation by a neurogenic mechanism. Nature Med. 6, 151–158 (2000).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Hunt, S.P. & Mantyh, P.W. The molecular dynamics of pain control. Nat. Rev. Neurosci. 2, 83–91 (2001).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Malmberg, A.B. & Yaksh, T.L. Hyperalgesia mediated by spinal glutamate or substance P receptor blocked by spinal cyclooxygenase inhibition. Science 257, 1276–1279 (1992).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Balsinde, J., Balboa, M.A., Insel, P.A. & Dennis, E.A. Regulation and inhibition of phospholipase A2. Annu. Rev. Pharmacol. Toxicol. 39, 175–189 (1999).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Ray, S.K. et al. Calpain activity and translational expression increased in spinal cord injury. Brain Res. 816, 375–380 (1999).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Shields, D.C., Schaecher, K.E., Hogan, E.L. & Banik, N.L. Calpain activity and expression increased in activated glial and inflammatory cells in penumbra of spinal cord injury lesion. J. Neurosci. Res. 61, 146–150 (2000).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. DeLeo, J.A. & Yezierski, R.P. The role of neuroinflammation and neuroimmune activation in persistent pain. Pain 90, 1–6 (2001).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Fu, K.Y., Light, A.R. & Maixner, W. Relationship between nociceptor activity, peripheral edema, spinal microglial activation and long-term hyperalgesia induced by formalin. Neuroscience 101, 1127–1135 (2000).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Honore, P. et al. Murine models of inflammatory, neuropathic and cancer pain each generate a unique set of neurochemical changes in the spinal cord and sensory neurons. Neuroscience 98, 585–598 (2000).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Watkins, L.R. & Maier, S.F. Implications of immune-to-brain communication for sickness and pain. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 96, 7710–7713 (1999).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Quan, N., Whiteside, M. & Herkenham, M. Cyclooxygenase 2 mRNA expression in rat brain after peripheral injection of lipopolysaccharide. Brain Res. 802, 189–197 (1998).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Matsumura, K. et al. Brain endothelial cells express cyclooxygenase-2 during lipopolysaccharide-induced fever: Light and electron microscopic immunocytochemical studies. J. Neurosci. 18, 6279–6289 (1998).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Lacroix, S. & Rivest, S. Effect of acute systemic inflammatory response and cytokines on the transcription of the genes encoding cyclooxygenase enzymes (COX-1 and COX-2) in the rat brain. J. Neurochem. 70, 452–466 (1998).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Preventive Science, Neuroscience and Psychiatry University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

    Patrick W. Mantyh

  2. Department of Anesthesiology University of California, San Diego, San Diego, California, USA

    Tony L. Yaksh

Authors
  1. Patrick W. Mantyh
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Tony L. Yaksh
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Mantyh, P., Yaksh, T. Sensory neurons are PARtial to pain. Nat Med 7, 772–773 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1038/89880

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/89880

This article is cited by

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing