神经病理性疼痛的表观遗传学发展方向

背景 神经病理性疼痛(neuropathic pain,NP)是由神经系统的损害或炎症引起的一种常见而特殊的慢性疼痛,以痛觉过敏、异常痛敏和自发痛为特征.目前发病机制不清,发病率逐年上升,处理非常棘手而且目前的治疗方法疗效不佳,是医学领域的挑战性研究课题. 目的 综述表观遗传学在疼痛中的研究状况. 内容 主要对表观遗传学的基本原理、生物学作用以及表观遗传学在疼痛中的研究进展进行综述. 趋向 表观遗传学在NP中的作用将为人们进一步深入阐明疼痛机制提供新的思路,为NP的治疗提供新的策略.

The role of epigenetic modifications in neuropathic pain

Background Neuropathic pain (NP),a chronic pain syndrome commonly seen after nerve injury or neuroinflammation,is featured by a series of symptoms,including hyperalgesia,abnormal pain sensitivity and spontaneous pain.The effective treatment of NP is highly demanding,but has been hindered by the uncertainty of underlying mechanisms.Objective To review the published studies about the role of epigenetic modifications in NP.Content Unlike genetic mutations,epigenetic modification does not change DNA sequence of a gene,but it alters high order structures of DNA and leads to silencing or overexpression of the gene,regulating cellular development and phenotype.Epigenetic modifications include DNA methylation,histone acetylation and methylation,chromosome remodeling,genomic imprinting,and RNA interference,etc.Accumulating evidence demonstrates that pain symptoms in NP are regulated by multiple molecules critically involved in epigenetic modifications,such as,methyl CpG binding protein 2,DNA methyltransferase,histone deacetylase,histone methyltransferase,RNA interference,etc.Trend Further investigations are required to identify epigenetic modifications specific to particular types or stages of NP,and reversing these modifications can be effective therapeutic strategies.