Close X
Monday, November 11, 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

    Young women smokers at chronic period pain risk

    Young women smokers at chronic period pain risk
    Women who take up smoking during their teenage years run a significantly heightened risk of developing chronic severe period pain, finds new research....

    Young women smokers at chronic period pain risk

    Lowering cholesterol with drugs good for heart: Study

    Lowering cholesterol with drugs good for heart: Study
    A popular but controversial cholesterol drug called Ezetimibe has been found to lower the number of cardiovascular events by 6.4 percent when administered...

    Lowering cholesterol with drugs good for heart: Study

    Common antibacterial in soap may harm liver

    Common antibacterial in soap may harm liver
    Long-term exposure to triclosan, found in soaps, shampoos, toothpastes and many other household items, may cause liver fibrosis and cancer, an alarming study suggests....

    Common antibacterial in soap may harm liver

    A new smartphone that can print selfies in seconds

    A new smartphone that can print selfies in seconds
    A French company has developed a brand new smartphone case that can print selfies from the phone itself in less than a minute....

    A new smartphone that can print selfies in seconds

    Menthol and nicotine harmful for lungs: Study

    Menthol and nicotine harmful for lungs: Study
    Neuroscientists at Georgetown University Medical Center (GUMC) have found that menthol acts in combination with nicotine to desensitise receptors in lungs' ...

    Menthol and nicotine harmful for lungs: Study

    Reduce salt intake for better kidney health

    Reduce salt intake for better kidney health
    The researchers found high sodium intake (an average of 4.7g a day) is linked with an increased risk of needing dialysis, but no benefit was seen for low sodium intake (average 2g a day)....

    Reduce salt intake for better kidney health