2008, Volume 1, Issue 4, pp 365 – 375

Recent data on cannabinoids and their pharmacological implications in neuropathic pain

SCImago Journal & Country Rank

Issues

Special Issues

Authors and Affiliations

Correspondence to: Oana Andreia Coman, Associate Professor, MD, PhD, Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapy, Faculty of Medicine, 8, B-dul Eroilor Sanitari, Bucharest, sect.5, Romania Tel/fax 021-3102115, e-mail: andreiacoman@yahoo.com

Abstract

Natural cannabinoids have been used for centuries for their psychotropic properties, but their possible therapeutic implications in analgesia have been recently documented. The present review intended to make an analysis of the neuroanatomy and physiology of the cannabinoid system (receptors, functions, agents acting on these receptors) and of its implications in neuropathic pain. There were also described the complex phenomena implicated in the generation and maintenance of neuropathic pain, by high lightening the implications of endogenous cannabinoids in this complex of painful conditions. The pharmacological analgesia test proves of cannabinoid implication in neuropathic pain was sustained by many studies presented in this paper. Therapeutic approaches using natural and synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists were reviewed. Therapeutic perspectives in neuropathic pain might involve the development of new agents that influence the cannabinoid system. Thus, peripheral acting cannabinoid 1 receptors agonists, selective cannabinoid 2 receptor agonists and also modulators of endocannabinoids metabolism might be a way to success in the treatment of this complex entity called neuropathic pain.

Keywords

About this article

PMC ID: 5654208
PubMed ID: 20108515
DOI: 

Article Publishing Date (print): 15-11-2008
Available Online: 

Journal information

ISSN Printing: 1844-122X
ISSN Online: 1844-3117
Journal Title: Journal of Medicine and Life

Copyright License: Open Access

This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use and redistribution provided that the original author and source are credited.


SCImago Journal & Country Rank

Issues

Special Issues