Development of the new drugs for the neuropathic pain which focus on a neurotransmitter transporter inhibition

2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26462812
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Functional basic dentistry
• Research Institution: Okayama University
• Principal Investigator: Sogawa Chiharu 岡山大学, 医歯薬学総合研究科, 講師 (10253022)
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: 疼痛治療薬 / 神経障害性疼痛 / モノアミントランスポーター / GABAトランスポーター

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Neuropathic pain is defined with for a chronic or persistent pain to be generated by a pathophysiological alteration on the peripheral and/or central nervous system. Antidepressants are known as the inhibitors of monoamine neurotransmitter transporters (MAT) are therapeutically useful ligands for the treatment of neuropathic pain. However, they do not sometimes provide enough effects. In this study, we were aimed for the development of an effective therapeutic drug for neuropathic pain. We focused on the　inhibition of MAT or GABA transporters (GAT). One of GAT inhibitors that display moderate selectivity for GAT, had an antiallodynic action on neuropathic pain model mice. The antiallodynic action of the GAT inhibitor is due to the inhibition of both GAT and MAT. We also observed how an expression of MAT change after the neuropathic pain onset influences an antiallodynic action. In this study, we confirmed that the change of MAT expression and antiallodynic effect included correlation.

Free Research Field

医歯薬学 歯科薬理学　神経伝達物質トランスポーターと疼痛制御