Could this spell the end of pain medications?
A group of British scientists have reportedly unlocked the secret to human pain and what it takes to end it.
"After a decade of rather disappointing drug trials, we now have confirmation that Nav1.7 really is a key element in human pain," declared Professor John Wood, the lead author of the said study.
"The secret ingredient turned out to be good old-fashioned opioid peptides, and we have now filed a patent for combining low dose opioids with Nav1.7 blockers," Wood revealed. "This should replicate the painlessness experienced by people with rare mutations, and we have already successfully tested this approach in unmodified mice."
Wood and company reached these findings after studying people having an uncommon genetic mutation that rendered them unable to feel pain.
Although studies in previous years showed that Nav1.7, a sodium channel normally present in human beings, had a role in pain signaling, the scientists found that people and test mice unable to feel pain had more natural opioid peptides than average, aside from having a non-functioning Nav1.7.
Further, Wood hoped that their new findings can improve or modify the way medical professionals manage pain, although sodium channel blockers as pain management solutions are currently used in the health care industry. However, opioid painkillers typically administered have a tendency to lead to dependence and tolerance with long-term use.
"As the body becomes used to the drug it becomes less effective so higher doses are needed for the same effect, side effects become more severe, and eventually it stops working altogether," Science Daily explained.
Wood and his team's findings suggested a way to manage pain without those debilitating side-effects.
"Used in combination with Nav1.7 blockers, the dose of opioid needed to prevent pain is very low," the study's lead author said. "People with non-functioning Nav1.7 produce low levels of opioids throughout their lives without developing tolerance or experiencing unpleasant side-effects."
"We hope to see our approach tested in human trials by 2017 and we can then start looking into drug combinations to help the millions of chronic pain patients around the world," Wood said, as also noted by Science World Report.
Wood also acknowledged that transgenic mice used in the study were very helpful as it helped scientists "replicate the effects to help people suffering from chronic pain," Science Daily said.
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