Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Yaron Haviv, Olga Georgiev, Tal Gaver-Bracha, Sharleen Hamad, Alina Nemirovski, Rivka Hadar, Yair Sharav, Doron J. Aframian, Yariv Brotman, Joseph Tam
Summary: This study found that salivary levels of endocannabinoids were lower in patients with chronic orofacial pain (OFP) compared to controls, especially in patients with neurovascular/migraine and neuropathic pain. These findings add a new dimension to our understanding of OFP mechanisms and may have important implications for the diagnosis and treatment of pain.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Shimrit Heiliczer, Asaf Wilensky, Tal Gaver, Olga Georgiev, Sharleen Hamad, Alina Nemirovski, Rivka Hadar, Yair Sharav, Doron J. Aframian, Joseph Tam, Yaron Haviv
Summary: The endocannabinoid system plays a role in pain processes, and specific salivary endocannabinoids may serve as biomarkers for chronic orofacial pain (OFP). Salivary samples showed signature eCB profiles for major OFP disorders, providing potential for more accurate diagnoses and management of patients.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Review
Food Science & Technology
Matteo Val, Robert Delcanho, Marco Ferrari, Luca Guarda Nardini, Daniele Manfredini
Summary: This paper provides a systematic review of the clinical use of botulinum toxin (BTX) for orofacial neuropathic pain disorders. The review of 6 randomized clinical trials suggests that BTX injections can effectively reduce pain levels and improve the quality of life for patients. However, further improvement in study protocols is needed to guide clinical application.
Review
Cell Biology
Mayank Shrivastava, Liang Ye
Summary: Orofacial neuropathic pain poses challenges for diagnosis and management due to the variability in clinical presentations and limited understanding of its etiology. Research in recent decades has led to the development of diagnostic criteria and assessment tools, along with the recognition of the role of autophagy in neuropathic pain. This review highlights the characteristics and clinical assessment of orofacial neuropathic pain, as well as the potential of autophagy in its modulation and future therapeutic targets.
Review
Health Care Sciences & Services
Swarnalakshmi Raman, Daisuke Ikutame, Kazuo Okura, Yoshizo Matsuka
Summary: Orofacial pain (OFP) is a dental specialty that focuses on diagnosing, managing, and treating disorders affecting the jaw, mouth, face, head, and neck. Effective treatment of OFP requires evidence-based understanding due to the multifactorial nature of these conditions. Treating OFP successfully is crucial as it significantly impacts the quality of life of affected individuals. Precision medicine, which utilizes a patient's genetic profile, shows promise in revolutionizing the management of chronic untreatable pain conditions.
JOURNAL OF PERSONALIZED MEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Food Science & Technology
Arief Waskitho, Yumiko Yamamoto, Swarnalakshmi Raman, Fumiya Kano, Huijiao Yan, Resmi Raju, Shaista Afroz, Tsuyoshi Morita, Daisuke Ikutame, Kazuo Okura, Masamitsu Oshima, Akihito Yamamoto, Otto Baba, Yoshizo Matsuka
Summary: BoNT/A reduces neurotransmitter release to alleviate neuropathic pain and may exert therapeutic effects through axonal and hematogenous transport.
Article
Dentistry, Oral Surgery & Medicine
Roxanne Bavarian, Shehryar N. Khawaja, Nathaniel S. Treister
Summary: This study discussed the effectiveness and safety of using neurosensory oral appliances for the management of neuropathic orofacial pain. Most patients experienced symptom relief, with some achieving complete resolution, indicating a successful and long-lasting treatment modality.
Review
Immunology
George Sideris-Lampretsas, Marzia Malcangio
Summary: This review summarizes the existing preclinical evidence on how the CNS compartment and sex impact microglia functions in health, emphasizing recent advances in transcriptomics analyses for characterizing disease-associated microglial states. The specific scenario of peripheral nerve or tissue injury inducing expression of a specific subset of genes in microglia in the dorsal horn of the spinal cord is discussed, along with the possibility of a unique microglia transcriptional profile associated with chronic pain conditions. The evidence also suggests microglial activation in pain-related areas of the brain can be observed in models of neuropathic pain, highlighting the potential for future studies to further explore neuroimmune interactions in chronic pain using novel approaches like scRNA-seq and CYTOF.
BRAIN BEHAVIOR AND IMMUNITY
(2021)
Article
Anesthesiology
Matthew Lyes, Kevin H. Yang, Joel Castellanos, Timothy Furnish
Summary: This article presents the experiences of three individuals using low-dose psilocybin to manage chronic neuropathic pain. They achieved significant pain relief and reduced reliance on traditional analgesics through self-administration of psilocybin. These commonalities highlight the therapeutic potential of psilocybin in the treatment of chronic pain.
Article
Neurosciences
Yuhui Luo, Abbie Suttle, Qiaojuan Zhang, Peng Wang, Yong Chen
Summary: Orofacial pain, affecting millions of Americans, is influenced by transient receptor potential (TRP) ion channels. The orofacial sensory system differs from the spinal sensory system in pain processing and sensitivities. TRPs in trigeminally-mediated pain have not been extensively documented compared to spinally-mediated pain.
MOLECULAR NEUROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Ananya Buapratoom, Aree Wanasuntronwong, Onrawee Khongsombat, Mayuree H. Tantisira
Summary: ECa 233 showed anti-nociceptive effects on chronic neuropathic orofacial pain in mice by modulating peripheral calcitonin gen-related peptide expression, which decreased nociceptive activity in trigeminal nucleus caudalis. This study also found a synergistic effect of ECa 233 with gabapentin, reducing mechanical hyperalgesia and allodynia in mice. Further clinical trials are needed to explore the efficacy of ECa 233 in treating neuropathic pain in humans.
JOURNAL OF ETHNOPHARMACOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Yukinori Nagakura, Shogo Nagaoka, Takahiro Kurose
Summary: This review discusses potential molecular targets for treating neuropathic orofacial pain based on current findings in animal models, highlighting the importance of preclinical research in elucidating the pathophysiology of the disease. Investigating the biological processes associated with trigeminal nerve damage or compression can provide insights into the generation and exacerbation of orofacial pain, leading to the discovery of better therapies. Translation of therapeutic candidates from animal models to human patients holds promise for developing improved treatments for neuropathic orofacial pain.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Review
Neurosciences
Fan-He Song, Dai-Qiang Liu, Ya-Qun Zhou, Wei Mei
Summary: This article summarizes the role and mechanisms of SIRT1 in chronic pain, exploring its regulation of inflammation, oxidative stress, and mitochondrial function, suggesting that SIRT1 agonists may serve as potential therapeutic drugs for chronic pain.
CNS NEUROSCIENCE & THERAPEUTICS
(2022)
Article
Food Science & Technology
Anupam Datta Gupta, Suzanne Edwards, Jessica Smith, John Snow, Renuka Visvanathan, Graeme Tucker, David Wilson
Summary: This study conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis on the use of Botulinum toxin A (BoNT-A) in the treatment of neuropathic pain (NP). The meta-analysis results showed that BoNT-A is effective in reducing pain in NP patients. However, the evidence from small-scale randomized controlled trials (RCTs) is limited. Further research is needed to establish BoNT-A as a first-line treatment option.
Review
Immunology
Xiaojuan Jiang, Ruihao Zhou, Yujun Zhang, Tao Zhu, Qian Li, Weiyi Zhang
Summary: Chronic pain is a clinical challenge and a major health problem with varying impacts on quality of life. Opioids are currently used as the first-line therapy, but they often come with unwanted psychoactive side effects. Therefore, there is an urgent need for new and effective treatments for chronic pain.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2022)