The Open Pain Journal

2013, 6 : 10-22
Published online 2013 March 08. DOI: 10.2174/1876386301306010010
Publisher ID: TOPAINJ-6-10

RESEARCH ARTICLE
 Changes in TRP Channels Expression in Painful Conditions

Mahendra Bishnoi1 and Louis S. Premkumar2, *
1 Department of Nutritional Sciences and Technology Institute (NABI), SAS Nagar, Punjab-60071, India
2 Department of Pharmacology, Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, Springfield, IL-62702, USA

* Address correspondence to this author at the Professor of Pharmacology, Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, Springfield, IL, 62702, USA; Tel: 217 545 2179; Fax: 217 545 0145; E-mail: lpremkumar@siumed.edu

ABSTRACT

Over the last fifteen years after the successful cloning of the first nociceptive Transient Receptor Potential (TRP) channel, TRP Vanilloid 1, other members of the TRP channel family have been cloned, characterized and implicated in different modalities of pain. Tremendous progress has been made with regard to the specific role of these TRP channels in nociception using electrophysiological and molecular methods, along with behavioral models combined with gene disruption techniques. This review summarizes the evidence supporting the role of TRP channels (TRP Vanilloid 1, TRP Vanilloid 2, TRP Vanilloid 3, TRP Vanilloid 4, TRP Ankyrin 1, TRP Melastatin 2, TRP Melastatin 3, TRP Melastatin 8, TRP Mucolipin 3 and TRP Canonical 1, 6) involved in nociception. The review also highlights the current status and future avenues for developing TRP channel modulators as analgesic agents.

Keywords:

Analgesia, Inflammation, Nociception, Pain, TRP Channels.