Opioid and endocannabinoid system in orofacial pain.

Opioid and endocannabinoid system in orofacial pain.
Physiol Res. 2019 Aug 19;
Authors: Zubrzycki M, Stasiolek M, Zubrzycka M
Abstract
Orofacial pain disorders are frequent in the general population and their pharmacological treatment is difficult and controversial. Therefore, the search for novel, safe and efficient analgesics is an important but still elusive goal for contemporary medicine. In the recent years, the antinociceptive potential of endocannabinoids and opioids has been emphasized. However, concerns for the safety of their use limit their clinical applications. the possibility of modulating the activity of endocannabinoids by regulation of their synthesis and/or degradation offers an innovative approach to the treatment of pain. A rat model of trigeminal pain, utilizing tongue jerks evoked by electrical tooth pulp stimulation during perfusion of the cerebral ventricles with various neurotransmitter solutions can be used in the pharmacological studies of nociception in the orofacial area. The aim of this review is to present the effects of pharmacological activity of opioids and endocannabinoids affecting the transmission of the sensory information from the orofacial area on the example of trigemino-hypoglossal reflex in rats.
PMID: 31424251 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Source: Physiological Research - August 18, 2019 Category: Physiology Authors: Zubrzycki M, Stasiolek M, Zubrzycka M Tags: Physiol Res Source Type: research