The role of brain fatty acids in pain

Abstract

There is growing evidence that fatty acids function as signal transduction molecules in a variety of biological phenomena with improved technology and precision of fatty acids analysis. For example, recent study have revealed that the functional properties of fatty acids are modulated by the amount of individual fatty acid intake, identification of the fatty acid receptors and the changes of its expression, and the distribution of fatty acids among organs.

Now, the relationship between polyunsaturated fatty acids and pain is getting a lot of attention as one of the modulation factor of pain. n–3 fatty acids alleviate pain caused by inflammation and neuropathy, whereas blood levels of n–6 fatty acids are increased in patients with chronic pain and thus exacerbate pain. Furthermore, we have proposed fatty acid receptors may function as a potential target molecule in pain. On the basis of these reports, it is likely that fatty acids play a major role in the regulation of pain.

In this review, we discuss current status and our recent study regarding fatty acids as novel pain management molecules.