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.
Autonomic Neuroscience Institute, Royal Free and University College Medical School, Rowland Hill Street, NW3 2PF, London, UK. g.burnstock@ucl.ac.uk
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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