Neuropsycopharmacology and Psychobiology Research Group, Department of Neuroscience (Pharmacology and Psychiatry), University of Cádiz, 11003 Cádiz, Spain; Departamento de Biologia Experimental, Centro de Investigação Médica da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade do Porto (CIM-FMUP), 4200-319 Porto, Portugal; Grupo de Morfofisiologia do Sistema Nervoso, Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular (IBMC), Porto, Portugal.
Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain; Neuropsychopharmacology and Psychobiology Research Group, Psychobiology Area, Department of Psychology, University of Cádiz, 11510 Cádiz, Spain.
Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry. 2015 Jul 3;60:77-92. doi: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2015.02.010. Epub 2015 Feb 21.
Despite the increasing knowledge regarding pain modulation, the understanding of the mechanisms behind a complex and pathologic chronic pain condition is still insufficient. These knowledge gaps might result in ineffective therapeutic approaches to relieve painful sensations. As a result, severe untreated chronic pain frequently triggers the onset of new disorders such as depression and/or anxiety, and therefore, both the diagnosis and treatment of patients suffering from chronic pain become seriously compromised, prompting a self-perpetuating cycle of symptomatology. The extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1 and 2 (ERK1/2) are molecules strongly implicated in the somatic component of pain at the spinal cord level and have been emerging as mediators of the emotional-affective component as well. Although these molecules might represent good biomarkers, their use as pharmacological targets is still open to discussion as paradoxical information has been obtained. Here we review the current scientific literature regarding ERK1/2 signaling in the modulation of pain, depression and anxiety, including the emotional-affective spheres of the pain experience.
尽管人们对疼痛调节的了解不断增加，但对于复杂和病理性慢性疼痛状况背后的机制的理解仍然不足。这些知识空白可能导致治疗方法无效，无法缓解疼痛感觉。因此，严重的未经治疗的慢性疼痛经常引发新的疾病，如抑郁和/或焦虑的发生，因此，患有慢性疼痛的患者的诊断和治疗都受到严重影响，导致症状的自我延续循环。细胞外信号调节激酶 1 和 2（ERK1/2）是强烈参与脊髓水平疼痛的躯体成分的分子，并已成为情感-情感成分的介质。尽管这些分子可能代表良好的生物标志物，但由于获得了矛盾的信息，它们作为药物靶点的使用仍存在争议。在这里，我们回顾了关于 ERK1/2 信号在疼痛、抑郁和焦虑调节中的当前科学文献，包括疼痛体验的情感-情感领域。
