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Updated: Jul 1, 2026
10:37
Development of Recombinant Proteins to Treat Chronic Pain
Published on: April 11, 2018
Chemokines as pain mediators and modulators.
Fletcher A White1, Natalie M Wilson
1Department of Cell Biology, Loyola University - Chicago, Maywood, Illinois 60153, USA. fwhite@lumc.edu
Current Opinion in Anaesthesiology
|September 12, 2008
Summary
Chemokines like MCP-1/CCL2 and SDF-1/CXCL12 are upregulated in sensory neurons after injury, contributing to chronic pain. Targeting chemokine receptors such as CCR2 and CXCR4 offers potential therapeutic strategies for pain management.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Immunology
- Pain Research
Background:
- Chemokines are key mediators of innate immunity in response to tissue damage and disease.
- Their role in nervous system autoimmune diseases is established, with growing evidence implicating them in chronic pain pathophysiology.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the role of chemokines and their receptors in the peripheral nervous system in the development of chronic pain.
- To highlight the potential of chemokine pathways as therapeutic targets for pain management.
Main Methods:
- Review of animal models demonstrating chemokine involvement in neuropathic pain.
- Analysis of studies showing upregulation of specific chemokine/receptor pairs (e.g., MCP-1/CCR2, SDF-1/CXCL12) in sensory neurons.
- Examination of the functional consequences of chemokine signaling on neuronal excitability and pain pathways.
Main Results:
- Chemokines, including monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1/CCL2) and stromal-derived factor-1 (SDF-1/CXCL12), are upregulated in sensory neurons following peripheral nerve injury.
- Activation of receptors CCR2 and CXCR4 by their respective ligands leads to neuronal depolarization, action potential generation, and sensitization of pain receptors.
- Pharmacological blockade of CCR2 and CXCR4 has been shown to reverse pain behaviors in animal models.
Conclusions:
- Specific chemokines and their receptors are implicated in the neural signaling that underlies chronic pain states after nerve injury.
- Chemokine receptors represent promising targets for the development of novel therapeutic interventions for chronic pain.
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