title: P2X receptors, sensory neurons and pain.
abstract: Pain represents a very large social and clinical problem since the current treatment provides insufficient pain relief. Plasticity of pain receptors together with sensitisation of sensory neurons, and the role of soluble mediators released from non-neuronal cells render difficult to understand the spatial and temporal scale of pain development, neuronal responses and disease progression. In pathological conditions, ATP is one of the most powerful mediators that activates P2X receptors that behave as sensitive ATP-detectors, such as neuronal P2X3 receptor subtypes and P2X4 and P2X7 receptors expressed on non-neuronal cells. Dissecting the molecular mechanisms occurring in sensory neurons and in accessory cells allows to design appropriate tissue- and cell- targeted approaches to treat chronic pain.
authors.forename: Tanja
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Bele
authors.affiliation: University of Nova Gorica, Center for biomedical sciences and engineering, Glavni trg 8, SI-5271 Vipava, Slovenia. Elsa.Fabbretti@ung.si.
authors.forename: Elsa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Fabbretti
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D018450:Disease Progression; D006801:Humans; D010146:Pain / Q000503:physiopathology*; D058469:Receptors, Purinergic P2X / Q000502:physiology*; D011984:Sensory Receptor Cells / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D058469:Receptors, Purinergic P2X