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Updated: Apr 9, 2026

Teasing Out the Interplay Between Natural Killer Cells and Nociceptor Neurons
Published on: June 30, 2022
Crosstalk between the nociceptive and immune systems in host defence and disease
Stephen B McMahon1, Federica La Russa1, David L H Bennett2
1King's College London, Wolfson Centre for Age-Related Diseases, Guy's Campus, London SE1 1UL, UK.
Abstract:
Nociceptors and immune cells both protect the host from potential threats to homeostasis. There is growing evidence for bidirectional signalling between these two systems, and the underlying mechanisms are beginning to be elucidated. An understanding is emerging of how both the adaptive and innate immune systems can activate and sensitize nociceptors, and, reciprocally, how nociceptors modulate immune cells. In this Review, we discuss how these interactions can be adaptive and useful to the organism but also consider when such signalling might be maladaptive and pathophysiological, contributing to immune-mediated diseases and persistent pain states.
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