[Progress in Inflammation Research] Turning up the Heat on Pain: TRPV1 Receptors in Pain and Inflammation Volume 868 || TRPV1 distribution and regulation

✍ Scribed by Malmberg, Annika B.; Bley, Keith R.

• Book ID: 115498166
• Publisher: Birkhäuser Basel
• Year: 2005
• Tongue: German
• Weight: 198 KB
• Edition: 2005
• Category: Article
• ISBN-13: 9783764370800
• DOI: 10.1007/3-7643-7379-2_3

✦ Synopsis

Despite Tremendous Advances In The Understanding Of The Sensory Nervous System Which Have Accompanied The Recent Explosive Growth Of The Neurosciences, Rema- Ably Few Innovative Medicines Directed Towards Pain And Inflammation Are Ava- Able. Indeed, Many Patients Are Still Prescribed Analgesic And Anti-inflammatory Medications That Were Identified Long Ago As Components Of Herbal Remedies. Si- Larly, Potential New Medicines In Clinical Evaluation Based On Capsaicin And The C- Saicin Receptor Are Both Grounded Firmly On Folk Traditions And Yet Rely Upon The Most Contemporary Techniques Of Drug Discovery And Delivery. The First Formal Report Of The Pain-relieving Properties Of Capsaicin Appeared In 1850 [1]. However, For Centuries Before This, Capsaicin-containing Extracts Had Been Used As Folk Medicines In Cultures With Access To Pepper Plants, Much In The Same Way As Poppy Or Willow-bark Extracts Were. Despite Widespread Use, It Was Not Until 1878 That The Selective Action Of Capsaicin On The Sensory Nervous System Was R- Ognized [2]. In Chapter 1 Of This Volume, Janos Szolcsányi Reviews This Early Research, Which Culminated With The Seminal Studies Of Nicholas Jansco And His C- Leagues In Hungary In The 1940s. Since Then, Capsaicin And Related Vanilloid C- Pounds Have Played A Prominent Role In Analgesia And Inflammation Investigations Because Of Their Ability To Selectively Activate A Subpopulation Of Sensory Neurons And Produce Sensations Of Pain And Localized Erythema.