P2X7 Receptor Modulators from Natural Products: Their Actions on Inflammatory and Painful Chronic Diseases

This study investigates the therapeutic potential of compounds derived from natural products as anti-inflammatory and analgesic agents. It focuses on their ability to modulate the P2X7 receptor, a key protein involved in purinergic signaling that plays a crucial role in the inflammatory response and pain transmission. The goal is to identify promising candidates for developing new treatments for chronic inflammation, neuropathic pain, and cancer, highlighting the relevance of natural sources for safer, sustainable therapies. These compounds could serve as prototypes for new anti-inflammatory and analgesic drugs, including P2X7 receptor antagonists. A search of databases, including PubMed and Google Scholar, was performed to identify relevant studies published since 2017. Search terms included "P2X7 receptor", "natural products", "inflammatory diseases" and "neuropathic pain". Additional articles were identified through manual searching of reference lists. The review identified 35 studies exploring the effects of natural products on purinergic signaling, targeting the P2X7 receptor. These studies highlighted 24 plant species and 36 compounds for their anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties, focusing on P2X7 receptor modulation. Significant findings included inhibition of inflammatory mediators and pain relief, measured by IC50 values. This review concludes that these natural products are promising for developing new anti-inflammatory agents, given their inhibition of inflammatory mediators and the P2X7 receptor. The diverse activities of these phytochemicals offer potential treatments for chronic diseases associated with inflammation and pain. Further research on mechanistic actions and clinical efficacy is necessary to validate their therapeutic potential and develop effective phytotherapeutics.