S1P and heat nociception

Chronic pain represents a difficult clinical problem to the physician since it frequently is resistant to conventional pain treatment. Current therapies are restricted to the classical analgesics and often do not sufficiently relieve the pain particularly in long term pain states. Therefore it is necessary to develop new analgesic principles with less severe unwanted effects. The present project aims at identifying the importance of the sphingosine metabolite S1P and its receptors in the development of nociceptor sensitization and heat hyperalgesia. For this purpose S1P effects on the function of peripheral nociceptive neurons will be analyzed. The expression and contribution of the five S1P/edg membrane receptors will be addressed, and the downstream signaling pathways of S1P in nociceptors will be investigated. Overall the suggested project aims at identifying the role of the sphingolipid metabolite S1P, its receptors and cellular signaling pathways in pain and hyperalgesia.

Chronic pain represents a difficult clinical problem to the physician since it frequently is resistant to conventional pain treatment. Current therapies are restricted to the classical analgesics and often do not sufficiently relieve the pain particularly in long term pain states. Therefore it is necessary to develop new analgesic principles with less severe unwanted effects. The present project aims at identifying the importance of the sphingosine metabolite S1P and its receptors in the development of nociceptor sensitization and heat hyperalgesia. For this purpose S1P effects on the function of peripheral nociceptive neurons will be analyzed. The expression and contribution of the five S1P/edg membrane receptors will be addressed, and the downstream signaling pathways of S1P in nociceptors will be investigated. Overall the suggested project aims at identifying the role of the sphingolipid metabolite S1P, its receptors and cellular signaling pathways in pain and hyperalgesia.