title: PI3K/Akt Pathway: A Potential Therapeutic Target for Chronic Pain.
abstract: Chronic pain is among the most disabling and costly disorders, with prevalence ranging from 10% to 55%. However, current therapeutic strategies for chronic pain are unsatisfactory due to our poor understanding of its mechanisms. Thus, novel therapeutic targets need to be found in order to improve these patients' quality of life. PI3K and its downstream Akt are widely expressed in the spinal cord, particularly in the laminae I-IV of the dorsal horn, where nociceptive C and Aδ fibers of primary afferents principally terminate. Recent studies have demonstrated their critical roles in the development and maintenance of chronic pain. In this review, we summarized the roles and mechanisms of PI3K/Akt pathway in the progression of chronic pain through sciatic nerve injury, diabetic neuropathy, spinal cord injury, bone cancer, opioid tolerance, or opioid-induced hyperalgesia.
authors.affiliation: Anesthesiology Institute, 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: Anesthesiology Institute, 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: 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: Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan. China.
authors.forename: Wen
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, Social Work and Human Sciences, University of West London, Brentford. United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Manyande
authors.affiliation: Anesthesiology Institute, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan. China.
authors.forename: Xue-Hai
authors.initials: XH
authors.lastname: Guan
authors.affiliation: 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
authors.affiliation: 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: MBBS, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan. China.
authors.forename: Deeq Mohamed
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Omar
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D059350:Chronic Pain / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000201:enzymology*; D006801:Humans; D051058:Oncogene Protein v-akt / Q000378:metabolism*; D019869:Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D019869:Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases; D051058:Oncogene Protein v-akt
keywords: Akt; PI3K; bone cancer pain; chronic pain; inflammatory pain; neuropathic pain; opioid tolerance