T Cells as an Emerging Target for Chronic Pain Therapy

Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience

Alfred J. Robison¹  Jiacheng Ma²  Geoffroy Laumet²  Annemieke Kavelaars²  Susmita Kumari²  Cobi J. Heijnen² 

[1] Department of Physiology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States;Laboratories of Neuroimmunology, Department of Symptom Research, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States;

关键词: chronic pain;    T cells;    cytokines;    neuroimmune;    opioids;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fnmol.2019.00216

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

The immune system is critically involved in the development and maintenance of chronic pain. However, T cells, one of the main regulators of the immune response, have only recently become a focus of investigations on chronic pain pathophysiology. Emerging clinical data suggest that patients with chronic pain have a different phenotypic profile of circulating T cells compared to controls. At the preclinical level, findings on the function of T cells are mixed and differ between nerve injury, chemotherapy, and inflammatory models of persistent pain. Depending on the type of injury, the subset of T cells and the sex of the animal, T cells may contribute to the onset and/or the resolution of pain, underlining T cells as a major player in the transition from acute to chronic pain. Specific T cell subsets release mediators such as cytokines and endogenous opioid peptides that can promote, suppress, or even resolve pain. Inhibiting the pain-promoting functions of T cells and/or enhancing the beneficial effects of pro-resolution T cells may offer new disease-modifying strategies for the treatment of chronic pain, a critical need in view of the current opioid crisis.

【 授权许可】

Unknown