Inflammatory pain and TRPA1

Abstract

Transient receptor potential (TRP) channels are expressed in many different tissues and play pivotal roles in many physiological functions. TRPA1, which is predominantly expressed in peripheral nociceptive neurons, is one of the most studied nociceptor targets. TRPA1 is activated by a wide variety of exogenous irritants that cause acute pain and a range of inflammation-related endogenous mediators. Under inflammatory conditions, TRPA1 expression increases and its trafficking to the cell membrane is enhanced; thus, TRPA1 is suggested to be involved in inflammatory pain. Some anesthetics may worsen inflammatory pain by activating TRPA1, which should be considered in the clinical setting. TRPA1 expression in the spinal cord has been recently reported; unexpectedly, activation of spinal TRPA1 channels was found to relieve pain. Considering these findings, the development of a new generation of pain therapeutics targeting TRPA1 is warranted.