Under normal conditions, acute pain processing consists of well-characterized neuronal signaling events.When dysfunctional pain\r\nsignaling occurs, pathological pain ensues. Glial activation and their released factors participate in the mediation of pathological\r\npain. The use of cannabinoid compounds for pain relief is currently an area of great interest for both basic scientists and physicians.\r\nThese compounds, bind mainly either the cannabinoid receptor subtype 1 (CB1R) or cannabinoid receptor subtype 2 (CB2R) and\r\nare able to modulate pain. Although cannabinoids were initially only thought to modulate pain via neuronal mechanisms within\r\nthe central nervous system, strong evidence now supports that CB2R cannabinoid compounds are capable of modulating glia,\r\n(e.g. astrocytes and microglia) for pain relief. However, the mechanisms underlying cannabinoid receptor-mediated pain relief\r\nremain largely unknown. An emerging body of evidence supports that CB2R agonist compounds may prove to be powerful novel\r\ntherapeutic candidates for the treatment of chronic pain.
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