Epigenetics and Postsurgical Pain: A Scoping Review

Multiple factors are involved in the physiology and variability of postsurgical pain, a great part of which can be explained by genetic and environmental factors and their interaction. Epigenetics refers to the mechanism by which the environment alters the stability and expression of genes. We conducted a scoping review to examine the available evidence in both animal models and clinical studies on epigenetic mechanisms involved in the regulation of postsurgical and chronic postsurgical pain.

The Arksey and O'Malley framework and the PRISMA-ScR (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis, scoping reviews extension) guidelines were used. The PubMed, Web of Science, and Google Scholar databases were searched, and the original articles cited in reviews located through the search were also reviewed. English-language articles without time limits were retrieved. Articles were selected if the abstract addressed information on the epigenetic or epigenomic mechanisms, histone, or DNA methylation and microribonucleic acids involved in postsurgical and chronic postsurgical pain in animal models and clinical studies.

The initial search provided 174 articles, and 95 were used. The available studies to date, mostly in animal models, have shown that epigenetics contributes to the regulation of gene expression in the pathways involved in postsurgical pain and in maintaining long-term pain.

Research on possible epigenetic mechanisms involved in postsurgical pain and chronic postsurgical pain in humans is scarce. In view of the evidence available in animal models, there is a need to evaluate epigenetic pain mechanisms in the context of human and clinical studies.