The pain that is associated with injury to nerves, such as caused by the trauma of amputation, entrapment, and compression, is known as neuropathic pain. It can be extremely debilitating, and treatments show limited or no effectiveness. Nerve injury underlying neuropathic pain is associated with an inflammatory response, and immune cells are thought to be contributors to the pain. However, Halina Machelska and colleagues, at Freie Universität Berlin, Germany, have now shown that in a mouse model of neuropathic pain, a substantial proportion of the immune cells at the site of nerve injury produce chemicals known as opiods that markedly reduce the symptoms of neuropathic pain. The authors therefore suggest that selectively targeting opioid-containing immune cells at sites of nerve injury could provide natural pain relief and offer a novel approach for neuropathic pain.
TITLE: Immune cell–derived opioids protect against neuropathic pain in mice
AUTHOR CONTACT:
Halina Machelska
Freie Universität Berlin, Medizinische Fakultät Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
Phone: 49-30-8445-3851; Fax: 49-30-8445-3826; E-mail: halina.machelska@charite.de.
View the PDF of this article at: https://www.the-jci.org/article.php?id=36246
Journal
Journal of Clinical Investigation