Reducing Pain by Activating Neural Cell Receptors

According to a report from Saed News’ academic research service, citing Sina Press:

Experts and researchers have discovered a new method for reducing pain. Scientists at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland, USA, have found that activating nerve cell receptors through two chemical pathways, combined with the use of a painkiller such as morphine, may be effective in pain management and could potentially eliminate pain more efficiently.

Activating two different receptors within the same sensory neuron creates a synergistic effect, meaning that less medication is needed to achieve better pain relief in animal models. If similar results are confirmed in human trials, this approach could offer a way to reduce pain tolerance and drug addiction.

Findings from experiments conducted on laboratory mice show that using chemical compounds to jointly stimulate these receptors can reduce opioid tolerance and its side effects—both of which are common problems associated with addictive pain medications.

The researchers emphasized that the use of this drug has not yet been approved for activating the human MrgC11 receptor, and it has only been tested in laboratory mice.

In this research project, scientists worked alongside chemists and pharmacologists to develop this new compound, aiming to target both human receptors and opioid receptors simultaneously. Opioid receptors are a group of G-protein-coupled inhibitory receptors that bind to opioid ligands.

Researcher Srinivasa Raja commented on the findings, stating that activating two different receptors in the same sensory neuron produces a synergistic effect and requires lower doses of medication for better pain relief in animal models. He added that if similar results are achieved in human studies, this could lead to a way to reduce pain sensitivity and opioid addiction.

These studies, built on decades of research from multiple institutions, involve complex biochemical and sensory interactions, where pain and itch mechanisms are closely linked.

One of the receptors studied is called MrgC11, which was discovered 20 years ago by scientist Xinzhong Dong. It belongs to a family of 50 receptors found on sensory neurons throughout the mouse body. Dong originally found that MrgC11 is associated with itch sensation in mice, but recent studies suggest it is also linked to pain perception.

Receptors are proteins that sit on cell surfaces and act as sensors that detect environmental signals. MrgC11 receptors are found in mice, and their human equivalent is known as MrgX1, located in primary sensory neurons.