Capsaicin for neuropathic pain: linking traditional medicine and molecular biology
Capsaicin has long been used as a traditional medicine to treat pain and, recently, its mechanism of analgesic action has been discovered. This review article documents the clinical development of capsaicin to demonstrate that pharmacognosy still has a profound influence on modern-day drug developme...
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| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article (Journal) |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
September 28, 2012
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| In: |
European neurology
Year: 2012, Volume: 68, Issue: 5, Pages: 264-275 |
| ISSN: | 1421-9913 |
| DOI: | 10.1159/000339944 |
| Online Access: | Verlag, Volltext: http://dx.doi.org/10.1159/000339944 Verlag, Volltext: https://www.karger.com/Article/FullText/339944 
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| Author Notes: | Maija Haanpää, Rolf-Detlef Treede |
| Summary: | Capsaicin has long been used as a traditional medicine to treat pain and, recently, its mechanism of analgesic action has been discovered. This review article documents the clinical development of capsaicin to demonstrate that pharmacognosy still has a profound influence on modern-day drug development programs. Capsaicin is a highly selective agonist for the transient receptor potential channel vanilloid-receptor type 1 (TRPV1), which is expressed on central and peripheral terminals of nociceptive primary sensory neurons. Knockout studies have revealed the importance of TRPV1 as a molecular pain integrator and target for novel analgesic agents. Topical application of capsaicin at the peripheral terminal of TRPV1-expressing neurons superficially denervates the epidermis in humans in a highly selective manner and results in hypoalgesia. In three recent randomized controlled trials, a patch containing high-concentration capsaicin demonstrated meaningful efficacy and tolerability relative to a low-concentration capsaicin control patch in patients with peripheral neuropathic pain. Data from clinical practice will determine if the high-concentration capsaicin patch is effective in real-world settings. |
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| Item Description: | Gesehen am 27.08.2018 |
| Physical Description: | Online Resource |
| ISSN: | 1421-9913 |
| DOI: | 10.1159/000339944 |