title: Targeting glia for bone cancer pain.
abstract: Bone cancer pain (BCP) remains to be a clinical challenge with limited pharmaceutical interventions. Therefore, novel therapeutic targets for the management of BCP are in desperate need. Recently, a growing body of evidence has suggested that glial cells may play a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of BCP. Areas covered: This review summarizes the recent progress in the understanding of glia in BCP and reveals the potential therapeutic targets in glia for BCP treatment. Expert opinion: Pharmacological interventions inhibiting the activation of glial cells, suppressing glia-derived proinflammatory cytokines, cell surface receptors, and the intracellular signaling pathways may be beneficial for the pain management of advanced cancer patients. However, these pharmacological interventions should not disrupt the normal function of glia cells since they play a vital supportive and protective role in the central nervous system.
authors.affiliation: a Research Center for Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College , Huazhong University of Science and Technology , Wuhan , China.|b Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College , Huazhong University of Science and Technology , Wuhan , China.
authors.forename: Ya-Qun
authors.initials: YQ
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: c Department of Urology , Tongji Hospital of Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology , Wuhan , China.
authors.forename: Zheng
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: d Cancer Center, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical college , Huazhong University of Science and Technology , Wuhan , China.
authors.forename: Hui-Quan
authors.initials: HQ
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: a Research Center for Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College , Huazhong University of Science and Technology , Wuhan , China.|b Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College , Huazhong University of Science and Technology , Wuhan , China.
authors.forename: Dai-Qiang
authors.initials: DQ
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: a Research Center for Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College , Huazhong University of Science and Technology , Wuhan , China.|b Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College , Huazhong University of Science and Technology , Wuhan , China.
authors.forename: Shu-Ping
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: d Cancer Center, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical college , Huazhong University of Science and Technology , Wuhan , China.
authors.forename: Da-Wei
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Ye
authors.affiliation: a Research Center for Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College , Huazhong University of Science and Technology , Wuhan , China.|b Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College , Huazhong University of Science and Technology , Wuhan , China.
authors.forename: Yu-Ke
authors.initials: YK
authors.lastname: Tian
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001859:Bone Neoplasms / Q000150:complications*; D000072716:Cancer Pain / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D002490:Central Nervous System / Q000378:metabolism; D016207:Cytokines / Q000378:metabolism; D015195:Drug Design; D006801:Humans; D058990:Molecular Targeted Therapy; D009457:Neuroglia / Q000378:metabolism*; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface
keywords: Therapeutic target; astrocyte; bone cancer pain; microglia