Corticosteroids and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs control inflammatory pain caused by injury, arthritis and other autoimmune conditions, but have side-effects especially with long-term use.

Now, US scientists have found that pain-responsive nerve cells, nociceptors, are sensitized by the inflammatory response because a potassium ion channel has been removed from their surface, causing hyperalgesia. The University at Buffalo, USA, team are now testing peptides that prevent this removal process and could lead to novel medications that reduce pain without the side-effects of other drugs.

• PKA-Induced Internalization of Slack KNa Channels Produces Dorsal Root Ganglion Neuron Hyperexcitability
  M. O. Nuwer, K. E. Picchione, A. Bhattacharjee,
  J. Neurosci. 2010, 30, 14165-14172.
  DOI:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3150-10.2010