The problem of clinical pain management is complex and far-reaching, as it encompasses many different types of pain, such as arthritis, musculoskeletal conditions, neuropathic pain, and visceral pain. The analgesics market is growing and the driving forces are the aging population and need for better therapeutic benefits. There are various analgesic products that are available that can be administered by various routes, yet research is active in identifying new technologies for better drug targeting and novel targets to gain improved therapeutic efficiency.
It is widely known that many of the well-established analgesic pathways are centrally based, involving spinal and supraspinal sites. However, pain can also be effectively controlled by peripheral pathways. For example, peripheral endogenous analgesia can be elicited by immune cells entering inflamed tissue and releasing opioid peptides that activate up-regulated opioid receptors on sensory nerve terminals. Such analgesic effects are particularly prominent in painful inflammatory conditions and avoid central opioid side effects.
In this Research Topic of Frontiers, we would like to bring together experts in the field of pain at the physiological, pharmacological and pharmaceutical levels to discuss novel pain targets and new pain technologies. The goal of this workshop is to generate collaborative discussion on the future and direction of pain therapies. Manuscripts describing original research, methods, hypothesis and theory, and reviews are welcomed.
The problem of clinical pain management is complex and far-reaching, as it encompasses many different types of pain, such as arthritis, musculoskeletal conditions, neuropathic pain, and visceral pain. The analgesics market is growing and the driving forces are the aging population and need for better therapeutic benefits. There are various analgesic products that are available that can be administered by various routes, yet research is active in identifying new technologies for better drug targeting and novel targets to gain improved therapeutic efficiency.
It is widely known that many of the well-established analgesic pathways are centrally based, involving spinal and supraspinal sites. However, pain can also be effectively controlled by peripheral pathways. For example, peripheral endogenous analgesia can be elicited by immune cells entering inflamed tissue and releasing opioid peptides that activate up-regulated opioid receptors on sensory nerve terminals. Such analgesic effects are particularly prominent in painful inflammatory conditions and avoid central opioid side effects.
In this Research Topic of Frontiers, we would like to bring together experts in the field of pain at the physiological, pharmacological and pharmaceutical levels to discuss novel pain targets and new pain technologies. The goal of this workshop is to generate collaborative discussion on the future and direction of pain therapies. Manuscripts describing original research, methods, hypothesis and theory, and reviews are welcomed.