Fatty acid binding proteins (FABPs), in particular FABP5 and FABP7, have recently been identified by us as intracellular transporters for the endocannabinoid anandamide (AEA). Furthermore, animal studies by others have shown that elevated levels of endocannabinoids resulted in beneficial pharmacological effects on stress, pain and inflammation and also ameliorate the effects of drug withdrawal....

Newborn infants display strong nociceptive behavior in response to tissue damaging stimuli, and this is accompanied by nociceptive activity generated in subcortical and cortical areas of the brain [1, 2]. In the absence of verbal report, these nociceptive responses are used as measures of pain sensation in newborn humans, as they are in animals [3, 4]. However, many infants are raised in a phys...

It has long been established that histamine plays a role as a mediator of inflammation. From numerous studies, it has been well known that the amine has many pharmacological actions on a variety of organs. To evaluate the role of histamine in pain perception, we generated HDC knockout mice using a gene targeting method. Histamine is a hydrophilic autacoid, and in most tissues it is stored and s...

Implication for health policy/practice/research/medical education: PRF was initially regarded as a method of blocking nociceptive stimuli that is less destructive than a thermolesion. Since the introduction of the intra-articular application this concept has changed. PRF is now thought to have an anti-inflammatory effect on the immune system, acting on the nociceptive process itself instead of...

The nociceptive response latencies were increased significantly after intra-periaqueductal grey (PAG) administration of 1.0 or 3.0 nmol of galanin, but not 0.3 nmol, in rats. The effect of galanin was attenuated by following injection of 5.5 nmol of naloxone into PAG. These results indicate an anti-nociceptive role of galanin, and a possible interaction between galanin and opioid peptides in PA...

The discovery of imidazoline ligands has opened up a new field of study. The investigation of imidazoline actions independent of adrenoceptors started in the mid 1980s. Imidazoline receptors are classified in several subtypes, I1, I2 and I3 binding sites. Although imidazoline sites have been the subjects of research for several years, but there is still controversy about their actions especiall...

The effective management of chronic pain remains enigmatic. There is a paucity of effective mechanistically-based approaches employed. Chronic visceral pain is a particularly difficult subcategory to manage. Glutamate is the most predominant excitatory neurotransmitter and mediates many aspects of sensory function including acute and chronic pain. There is a growing literature describing the ef...

the methanolic extract of whole plants of solanum nigrum l. was investigated for anti-inflammatory activity on the experimental animal models. the methanolic extract at a concentration of 100 mg.kg-1 and 200 mg.kg-1, p.o. showed the significant dose dependent anti-inflammatory activity in carrageenin and egg white induced hind paw oedema in rats. anti-inflammatory activity of the tested extract...