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Readable research linked to original sources
Browse normalized, publication-ready research with direct links to its evidence and source.
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Readable research linked to original sources
Browse normalized, publication-ready research with direct links to its evidence and source.
21 articles
Newest firstIrritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common functional gastrointestinal disorder characterized primarily by chronic visceral pain, with a complex pathogenesis and limited efficacy of current therapeutic interventions. Growing evidence indicates that electroacupuncture (EA) and repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) exert significant analgesic effects on visceral pain. However, the underlying neural cir…
Open article record in new tab ↗Background Pain seriously impacts patients' life quality. The use of morphine for pain is common, but tolerance limits its application in clinic. However, there is no exact mechanism for tolerance. In this study, we explored how microglial polarization and IL (interleukin)-4,along with a CB2 receptor agonist, affect reducing morphine tolerance. Method The cells cultivated with morphine or combined CB2R agonist AM1…
Acupuncture, as a traditional treatment, has been extensively used in China for thousands of years. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), acupuncture is recommended for the treatment of 77 diseases. And 16 of these diseases are related to inflammatory pain. As a combination of traditional acupuncture and modern electrotherapy, electroacupuncture (EA) has satisfactory analgesic effects on various acute…
Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is a highly prevalent, chronic joint disorder, and it is a typical disease which can develop chronic pain. Our previous study has proved that endocannabinoid (2-AG)-CB1R-GABA-5-HT pathway is involved in electroacupuncture (EA) mediated inhibition of chronic pain. However, it is still unclear which among the 5-HT receptor subtype is involved in EA evoked 5-HT mediated inhibition of chronic…
The neurohypophysial hormone oxytocin (OXT) is synthesized in the hypothalamic paraventricular and supraoptic nuclei. Recently, some studies have considered OXT to be important in sensory modulation and that the OXT protein is upregulated by acute and chronic nociception. However, the mechanism by which OXT is upregulated in neurons is unknown. In this study, we examined the resting membrane potentials and excitat…
The endocannabinoid system (ECS) is known to modulate not only food intake but also pain, especially via the cannabinoid type 1 receptor (CB1R) expressed throughout the central nervous system and the peripheral tissues. Our previous study demonstrated that fasting produces an analgesic effect in adult male mice, which is reversed by intraperitoneal (i.p.) administration of CB1R antagonist (SR 141716). In the prese…
The insufficient knowledge of biochemical mechanisms behind the emergence and maintenance of chronic musculoskeletal pain conditions constrains the development of diagnostic and therapeutic tools for clinical use. However, physical activity and exercise may improve pain severity and physical function during chronic pain conditions. Nevertheless, the biochemical consequences of physical activity and exercise in chr…
Open article record in new tab ↗Background Fatty acid binding proteins (FABPs) serve as intracellular carriers that deliver endocannabinoids and N-acylethanolamines to their catabolic enzymes. Inhibition of FABPs reduces endocannabinoid transport and catabolism in cells and FABP inhibitors produce antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory effects in mice. Potential analgesic effects in mice lacking FABPs, however, have not been tested. Findings Mice…
Background Cannabinoid receptors and T-type calcium channels are potential targets for treating pain. Here we report on the design, synthesis and analgesic properties of a new mixed cannabinoid/T-type channel ligand, NMP-181. Results NMP-181 action on CB1 and CB2 receptors was characterized in radioligand binding and in vitro GTPγ[35S] functional assays, and block of transiently expressed human Cav3.2 T-type chann…
Open article record in new tab ↗Background Chemotherapeutic agents produce dose-limiting peripheral neuropathy through mechanisms that remain poorly understood. We previously showed that AM1710, a cannabilactone CB₂ agonist, produces antinociception without producing central nervous system (CNS)-associated side effects. The present study was conducted to examine the antinociceptive effect of AM1710 in rodent models of neuropathic pain evoked by…
Background Both T-type calcium channels and cannabinoid receptors modulate signalling in the primary afferent pain pathway. Here, we investigate the analgesics activities of a series of novel cannabinoid receptor ligands with T-type calcium channel blocking activity. Results Novel compounds were characterized in radioligand binding assays and in vitro functional assays at human and rat CB1 and CB2 receptors. The i…
Open article record in new tab ↗Background Electroacupuncture (EA) can produce analgesia by increasing the β-endorphin level and activation of peripheral μ-opioid receptors in inflamed tissues. Endogenous cannabinoids and peripheral cannabinoid CB2 receptors (CB2Rs) are also involved in the antinociceptive effect of EA on inflammatory pain. However, little is known about how peripheral CB2Rs interact with the endogenous opioid system at the infl…
Open article record in new tab ↗The aim of this study was to obtain evidences of a possible analgesic role for palmitoylethanolamide (PEA) in chronic granulomatous inflammation sustained by mast cell (MC) activation in rats at 96 hours. PEA (200-400-800 μg/mL), locally administered at time 0, reduced in a concentration-dependent manner the expression and release of NGF in comparison with saline-treated controls. PEA prevented nerve formation and…
Background Systemic administration of cannabinoid agonists is known to reduce pain induced by bladder inflammation and to modulate cystometric parameters in vivo. We have previously reported that intravesical administration of a cannabinoid agonist reduces the electrical activity of bladder afferents under normal conditions. However, the effects of local activation of bladder cannabinoid receptors on afferent acti…
Open article record in new tab ↗The analgesic effects of cannabinoids are well documented, but these are often limited by psychoactive side-effects. Recent studies indicate that the endocannabinoid system is dynamic and altered under different pathological conditions, including pain states. Changes in this receptor system include altered expression of receptors, differential synthetic pathways for endocannabinoids are expressed by various cell t…
Background Neurons in superficial (SDH) and deep (DDH) laminae of the spinal cord dorsal horn receive sensory information from skin, muscle, joints and viscera. In both regions, glycine- (GlyR) and GABAA-receptors (GABAARs) contribute to fast synaptic inhibition. For rat, several types of GABAAR coexist in the two regions and each receptor type provides different contributions to inhibitory tone. Recent work in mo…
BackgroundAlthough the systemic administration of cannabinoids produces antinociception, their chronic use leads to analgesic tolerance as well as cross-tolerance to morphine. These effects are mediated by cannabinoids binding to peripheral, spinal and supraspinal CB1 and CB2 receptors, making it difficult to determine the relevance of each receptor type to these phenomena. However, in the brain, the CB1 receptors…
Open article record in new tab ↗Activation of spinal microglia contributes to aberrant pain responses associated with neuropathic pain states. Endocannabinoids (ECs) are present in the spinal cord, and inhibit nociceptive processing; levels of ECs may be altered by microglia which modulate the turnover of endocannabinoids in vitro. Here, we investigate the effect of minocycline, an inhibitor of activated microglia, on levels of the endocannabino…
Background Cannabinoid receptor type 2 (CBR2) inhibits microglial reactivity through a molecular mechanism yet to be elucidated. We hypothesized that CBR2 activation induces an anti-inflammatory phenotype in microglia by inhibiting extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) pathway, via mitogen-activated protein kinase-phosphatase (MKP) induction. MKPs regulate mitogen activated protein kinases, but their role in…
Open article record in new tab ↗Background While cannabinoid receptor agonists have analgesic activity in inflammatory pain states they produce a range of side effects. Recently, it has been demonstrated that the arachidonic acid-amino acid conjugate, N-arachidonyl-glycine (NA-glycine) is effective in acute pain models. Results In the present study we examined the effect of NA-glycine in a rat model of inflammatory pain. Intrathecal administrati…
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