Neuromed researchers discover new mechanism implicated in pain transmission

Discovered the analgesic effect of a molecule naturally present in the body and which could explain the differences that two different individuals may have in pain sensitivity. It is the result of a research conducted by the Neuropharmacology Laboratory of Irccs Neuromed in Pozzilli (Is) and published in the journal ‘Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience’. According to the study, conducted on animal models, cinnabarinic acid, a product of tryptophan metabolism that is formed following a series of chemical reactions known as the “kynurenine pathway”, would be able to suppress pain by acting on specific receptors of the nerve cells, mGlu4. “Our experiments – says Serena Notartomaso, first author of the work – have shown that small quantities of cinnabarinic acid can act in the regulation of the transmission of painful impulses. We must specify that this research is simply showing us a path on which to move future studies. L he effect of cinnabarinic acid that we have observed, in fact – he underlines – is due to quantities naturally produced by the body, while an external administration does not generate dose-proportional analgesia. However, it will be interesting to investigate the role of this endogenous molecule in determining those differences in pain sensitivity that we know exist between individuals. “” The observations collected in this study – comments Ferdinando Nicoletti, head of the Neuropharmacology Laboratory at Neuromed and full professor of Pharmacology at the Sapienza University of Rome – refer in particular to pain of neuro origin pathological or inflammatory, which for many patients can generate highly disabling chronic forms of pain. Exploring in depth the mechanisms of transmission of nociceptive impulses, and the possible mechanisms that can control them – he concludes – could prove to be very important to find innovative answers in this field “.