Purine-mediated signalling in pain and visceral perception.
Receptor subtypes for purines have been identified in a variety of tissues, increasing interest in the roles of purine-mediated signalling in pathophysiological processes. Growing evidence supports the involvement of one of the purinoceptor subtypes, P2X3, in nociception. In this article, recent studies of purine-mediated nociception and visceral pain will be discussed. Furthermore, a novel hypothesis is proposed for purine-mediated mechanosensory transduction where ATP released during distension from epithelial cells lining tubes (such as ureter and gut) and sacs (such as the bladder) acts on P2X3 receptors on a subepithelial nerve plexus to initiate impulses that are relayed via the spinal cord to pain centres in the brain.
Burnstock
G
G
Autonomic Neuroscience Institute, Royal Free and University College Medical School, Rowland Hill Street, NW3 2PF, London, UK. g.burnstock@ucl.ac.uk
D000818:Animals; D006801:Humans; D010146:Pain / Q000209:etiology*; D058913:Purinergic Agonists; D058914:Purinergic Antagonists; D011983:Receptors, Purinergic / Q000145:classification / Q000502:physiology; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology*
D058913:Purinergic Agonists; D058914:Purinergic Antagonists; D011983:Receptors, Purinergic