Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, USA.
Mol Pain. 2011 Feb 23;7:16. doi: 10.1186/1744-8069-7-16.
Neuropathic pain is a common clinical condition. Current treatments are often inadequate, ineffective, or produce potentially severe adverse effects. Understanding the mechanisms that underlie the development and maintenance of neuropathic pain will be helpful in identifying new therapeutic targets and developing effective strategies for the prevention and/or treatment of this disorder. The genesis of neuropathic pain is reliant, at least in part, on abnormal spontaneous activity within sensory neurons. Therefore, voltage-gated sodium channels, which are essential for the generation and conduction of action potentials, are potential targets for treating neuropathic pain. However, preclinical studies have shown unexpected results because most pain-associated voltage-gated channels in the dorsal root ganglion are down-regulated after peripheral nerve injury. The role of dorsal root ganglion voltage-gated channels in neuropathic pain is still unclear. In this report, we describe the expression and distribution of voltage-gated sodium channels in the dorsal root ganglion. We also review evidence regarding changes in their expression under neuropathic pain conditions and their roles in behavioral responses in a variety of neuropathic pain models. We finally discuss their potential involvement in neuropathic pain.
神经性疼痛是一种常见的临床病症。目前的治疗方法往往效果不佳、无效或产生潜在的严重不良反应。了解导致神经性疼痛发生和持续的机制，有助于确定新的治疗靶点，并制定预防和/或治疗这种疾病的有效策略。神经性疼痛的产生至少部分依赖于感觉神经元内异常的自发性活动。因此，电压门控钠离子通道是动作电位产生和传导所必需的，是治疗神经性疼痛的潜在靶点。然而，临床前研究结果却出人意料，因为外周神经损伤后，背根神经节中大多数与疼痛相关的电压门控通道都下调了。背根神经节电压门控通道在神经性疼痛中的作用仍不清楚。在本报告中，我们描述了电压门控钠离子通道在背根神经节中的表达和分布。我们还回顾了在神经性疼痛条件下其表达变化的证据，以及它们在各种神经性疼痛模型中行为反应中的作用。最后，我们讨论了它们在神经性疼痛中的潜在作用。
