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‘Off switch for pain’: scientists find new way of shutting down pain

Bob

Senior Member
Messages
16,455
Location
England (south coast)
‘Off switch for pain’: scientists find new way of shutting down pain
27 November 2014
The Independent
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/s...nd-new-way-of-shutting-down-pain-9888339.html
Scientists have discovered a new way of bringing pain relief, which could avoid the dangers and problems of other solutions while helping patients with the intense pain caused by problems such as bone cancer and chemotherapy.

Researchers found that blocking a pathway in rodents counteracts chronic nerve pain. By activating the particular pain receptor, known as A3, pain that develops slowly from nerve damage could be prevented or reversed, they said in the study, published in Brain.

Read more:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/s...nd-new-way-of-shutting-down-pain-9888339.html


And here's a more scientific article...

'Off switch' for pain discovered: Activating the adenosine A3 receptor subtype is key to powerful pain relief
November 26, 2014
Science Daily
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/11/141126132639.htm
In research published in the medical journal Brain, Saint Louis University researcher Daniela Salvemini, Ph.D. and colleagues within SLU, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and other academic institutions have discovered a way to block a pain pathway in animal models of chronic neuropathic pain including pain caused by chemotherapeutic agents and bone cancer pain suggesting a promising new approach to pain relief.

Read more:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/11/141126132639.htm
 

Bob

Senior Member
Messages
16,455
Location
England (south coast)
This is the research paper...

Endogenous adenosine A3 receptor activation selectively alleviates persistent pain states
Joshua W. Little et al.
First published online: 20 November 2014
Brain
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/brain/awu330
Summary
Chronic pain is a global burden that promotes disability and unnecessary suffering. To date, efficacious treatment of chronic pain has not been achieved. Thus, new therapeutic targets are needed. Here, we demonstrate that increasing endogenous adenosine levels through selective adenosine kinase inhibition produces powerful analgesic effects in rodent models of experimental neuropathic pain through the A3adenosine receptor (A3AR, now known as ADORA3) signalling pathway. Similar results were obtained by the administration of a novel and highly selective A3AR agonist. These effects were prevented by blockade of spinal and supraspinal A3AR, lost in A3AR knock-out mice, and independent of opioid and endocannabinoid mechanisms. A3AR activation also relieved non-evoked spontaneous pain behaviours without promoting analgesic tolerance or inherent reward. Further examination revealed that A3AR activation reduced spinal cord pain processing by decreasing the excitability of spinal wide dynamic range neurons and producing supraspinal inhibition of spinal nociception through activation of serotonergic and noradrenergic bulbospinal circuits. Critically, engaging the A3AR mechanism did not alter nociceptive thresholds in non-neuropathy animals and therefore produced selective alleviation of persistent neuropathic pain states. These studies reveal A3AR activation by adenosine as an endogenous anti-nociceptive pathway and support the development of A3AR agonists as novel therapeutics to treat chronic pain.
 

lansbergen

Senior Member
Messages
2,512
Critically, engaging the A3AR mechanism did not alter nociceptive thresholds in non-neuropathy animals and therefore produced selective alleviation of persistent neuropathic pain states.

So this could explain the difference between ME pain and injury pain?
 

Navid

Senior Member
Messages
564
‘Off switch for pain’: scientists find new way of shutting down pain
27 November 2014
The Independent
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/s...nd-new-way-of-shutting-down-pain-9888339.html



And here's a more scientific article...

'Off switch' for pain discovered: Activating the adenosine A3 receptor subtype is key to powerful pain relief
November 26, 2014
Science Daily
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/11/141126132639.htm


Are there clinical trials in the US using these?

thanks, Navid
 

adreno

PR activist
Messages
4,841
Critically, engaging the A3AR mechanism did not alter nociceptive thresholds in non-neuropathy animals and therefore produced selective alleviation of persistent neuropathic pain states.

So this could explain the difference between ME pain and injury pain?
I don't think that can be concluded. It means that normal animals did not lose/change their ability to feel pain - which is critical. You don't want to lose your sense of pain, or you'll end up cutting your finger off, or worse.
 

lansbergen

Senior Member
Messages
2,512
I don't think that can be concluded. It means that normal animals did not lose/change their ability to feel pain - which is critical. You don't want to lose your sense of pain, or you'll end up cutting your finger off, or worse.

But it helped for neuropatic pain?