People are looking for pain relief since ancient times. They are using various herbs, natural products, and pharmaceutical products in order to ease their pain.
It seems that a team of scientists led by Daniela Salvemini has finally found the pain relief off switch.
The results of interesting research have been published in the well-known medical journal Brain. The prominent researcher at St. Louis University – Daniela Salvemini, Ph.D., and her colleagues from Saint Louis University together with the National Institutes of Health and other institutions has found a way to stop the pathway of pain.
Of course, these tests were conducted on animals suffering from chronic neuropathic pain including pain related to chemotherapeutic agents and even bone cancer pain.
However, the results are certainly encouraging and they can be used for future researches in human patients.
The Key to Powerful Pain Relief
The key to powerful pain relief is activating the adenosine A3 receptor subtype.
They were able to control and block chronic nerve pain by simple activation of a receptor in the brain and spinal cord of lab rodents. They have deliberately used both male and female rodents and the results were the same.
In order to do this, Salvemini (professor of pharmacological and physiological sciences) and her team have activated the A3 receptor by using both the natural chemical stimulator (adenosine) and synthetic drugs created by NIH. They have used these two methods separately and they have worked both times. The activated Ac3 receptor was able to prevent and reverse the pain caused by nerve damage without any side effects.
Pain is an unpleasant physical and emotional feeling that occurs because of existing or threatening tissue damage. Pain is a direct result of complex electrochemical reactions, which are triggered by the body because of tissue damage.
People are looking for ways to ease their pain and although the modern pharmaceutical industry has released some highly effective pain relief products they come with many side effects that can make the situation even worse. Chronic pain lasts long and they don’t have any protective role. They can significantly decrease the quality of life. Chronic pain today is usually treated with adrenergic, opioid, and calcium channels, which affect the pain’s pathway.
In the past ten years, researchers were focused on these pathways. They have managed to examine the interactions between components on a molecular level that lead to pain. One of these components is adenosine. Although scientists have confirmed that this component can be efficient in chronic pain relief, they have not found the exact pain pathway in order to use this receptor without side effects.
Thanks to the research of Salvemini and her team, the scientific public is now aware that the only way to trigger the pain-relieving effects of adenosine is to activate the A3 adenosine receptor.
According to Salvemini, her study was based on the previous researches that had adenosine in its focus. She is sure that future studies should be centered on the A3AR pathway.
Source: Saint Louis University
