Peripheral opioid regulation of nociceptors. Focus on 'morphine directly inhibits nociceptors in inflamed skin'.

摘要

In this issue of the Journal of Neurophysiology (p. 2083-2097), Wenk et al. describe a series of experiments demonstrating that opioids inhibit the majority of A-delta and C nociceptors innervating inflamed skin (Wenk et al. 2006). As elegantly demonstrated, the in vitro inflamed skin-nerve preparation used in their study exhibits two important properties. First, it contains isolated nociceptor terminals that continue to display sensitized responses to thermal and mechanical stimuli under these in vitro conditions. Second, this preparation permits focused investigations on opioid regulation of nociceptor function without the well recognized confound of central opioid effects.