Opening paths to novel analgesics: the role of potassium channels in chronic pain.
Chronic pain is associated with abnormal excitability of the somatosensory system and remains poorly treated in the clinic. Potassium (K⁺) channels are crucial determinants of neuronal activity throughout the nervous system. Opening of these channels facilitates a hyperpolarizing K⁺ efflux across the plasma membrane that counteracts inward ion conductance and therefore limits neuronal excitability. Accumulating research has highlighted a prominent involvement of K⁺ channels in nociceptive processing, particularly in determining peripheral hyperexcitability. We review salient findings from expression, pharmacological, and genetic studies that have untangled a hitherto undervalued contribution of K⁺ channels in maladaptive pain signaling. These emerging data provide a framework to explain enigmatic pain syndromes and to design novel pharmacological treatments for these debilitating states.
Department of Pharmacology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1PD, UK. Electronic address: c.tsantoulas@gmail.com.
Christoforos
C
Tsantoulas
Neurorestoration Group, Wolfson Centre for Age-Related Diseases, King's College London, London SE1 1UL, UK.
Stephen B
SB
McMahon
D000700:Analgesics / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D059350:Chronic Pain / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology; D015195:Drug Design; D006801:Humans; D058990:Molecular Targeted Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D015221:Potassium Channels / Q000378:metabolism*
D000700:Analgesics; D015221:Potassium Channels
dorsal root ganglia; pain; pharmacotherapy; potassium channel