Close X
Tuesday, November 26, 2024
ADVT 
Health

'Off switch' for pain discovered

Darpan News Desk IANS, 30 Nov, 2014 01:48 PM
    Researchers have uncovered a new way to block neuropathic pain including pain caused by chemotherapeutic agents and bone cancer.
     
    Turning on a receptor called A3 in the brain and spinal cord could quell pain, the results of the research found.
     
    The receptor can be activated by its chemical stimulator, the small molecule adenosine.
     
    "It has long been appreciated that harnessing the potent pain-killing effects of adenosine could provide a breakthrough step towards an effective treatment for chronic pain," said researcher Daniela Salvemini from the Saint Louis University in the US.
     
    "Our findings suggest that this goal may be achieved by focusing future work on the A3AR (adenosine receptor) pathway as its activation provides robust pain reduction across several types of pain," Salvemini added.
     
    The most successful pharmacological approaches for the treatment of chronic pain rely on certain pathways: circuits involving opioid, adrenergic and calcium channels.
     
    For the past decade, scientists have tried to take advantage of these known pathways where the series of interactions between molecular-level components take place that consequently lead to pain.
     
    While adenosine had shown potential for pain-killing in humans, researchers had not successfully leveraged this particular pain pathway because the targeted receptor engaged many side effects.
     
    In this research on animal models, Salvemini and colleagues demonstrated that activation of the A3 adenosine receptor subtype is key in mediating the pain relieving effects of adenosine.
     
    The study appeared in the journal Brain.

    MORE Health ARTICLES

    Mild BP control adequate for people above 60

    Mild BP control adequate for people above 60
    Even a mild dose of drugs used to treat high blood pressure would be adequate for the elderly population who suffer from the condition, a study says....

    Mild BP control adequate for people above 60

    Research offers hope for patients with cardiovascular disease

    Research offers hope for patients with cardiovascular disease
    A new research has shown a protein, which controls the growth of new blood vessels, could potentially reduce the effects of cardiovascular disease...

    Research offers hope for patients with cardiovascular disease

    Premature babies at greater risk of future hip replacements

    Premature babies at greater risk of future hip replacements
    Low birth weight and premature birth are linked to increased risk of osteoarthritis-related hip replacements in adulthood, says a research....

    Premature babies at greater risk of future hip replacements

    Nanobodies to help out in boosting immunity

    Nanobodies to help out in boosting immunity
    Targetting difficult-to-reach areas affected by disease could become a lot easier as researchers have developed a new system to make nanobodies...

    Nanobodies to help out in boosting immunity

    Cancer cell fingerprints could hasten diagnosis in kids

    Cancer cell fingerprints could hasten diagnosis in kids
    Cancers in children will be diagnosed faster and more accurately in future as researchers have identified new cancer cell fingerprints in blood....

    Cancer cell fingerprints could hasten diagnosis in kids

    Dysfunctional protein causes Alzheimer's

    Dysfunctional protein causes Alzheimer's
    Debunking a prevalent theory of Alzheimer's development, researchers have now found that it is not the amyloid-beta (A-beta) protein fragments but the...

    Dysfunctional protein causes Alzheimer's