Stem cells and pain

Abstract

Pain can be defined as an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience caused by either actual or potential tissue damage or even resemble that unpleasant experience. For years, science has sought to find treatment alternatives, with minimal side effects, to relieve pain. However, the currently available pharmacological options on the market show significant adverse events. Therefore, the search for a safer and highly efficient analgesic treatment has become a priority. Stem cells (SCs) are non-specialized cells with a high capacity for replication, self-renewal, and a wide range of differentiation possibilities. In this review, we provide evidence that the immune and neuromodulatory properties of SCs can be a valuable tool in the search for ideal treatment strategies for different types of pain. With the advantage of multiple administration routes and dosages, therapies based on SCs for pain relief have demonstrated meaningful results with few downsides. Nonetheless, there are still more questions than answers when it comes to the mechanisms and pathways of pain targeted by SCs. Thus, this is an evolving field that merits further investigation towards the development of SC-based analgesic therapies, and this review will approach all of these aspects.

A Narrative Review of the Dorsal Root Ganglia and Spinal Cord Mechanisms of Action of Neuromodulation Therapies in Neuropathic Pain

“…Nociceptors, specialized primary afferent neurons located in the peripheral nervous system (PNS), are adapted to sense danger, recognizing intense mechanical, thermal, and chemical stimuli which modulate ion channels, including sodium channels (Nav1.7, Nav1.8, and Nav1.9) [ 3 ] and/or transient receptor potential (TRP) channels [ 4 , 5 ], creating action potentials towards the spinal cord or trigeminal nuclei and relayed to the brain, to be translated and understood as pain. There are different modalities of pain, such as exacerbated pain (hyperalgesia), or responses to non-noxious stimuli, such as light touch, that can cause pain (allodynia) [ 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 ].…”