A Delphi consensus statement of the Neuropathic Pain Special Interest Group of the Italian Neurological Society on pharmacoresistant neuropathic pain.

To improve patient care and help clinical research, the Neuropathic Pain Special Interest Group of the Italian Neurological Society appointed a task force to elaborate a consensus statement on pharmacoresistant neuropathic pain. The task force included 19 experts in neuropathic pain. These experts participated in a Delphi survey consisting of three consecutive rounds of questions and a face-to-face meeting, designed to achieve a consensus definition of pharmacoresistant neuropathic pain. In the three rounds of questions, the participants identified and described the main distinguishing features of pharmacoresistance. In the face-to-face meeting the participants discussed the clinical features determining pharmacoresistance. They finally agreed that neuropathic pain is pharmacoresistant when "the patient does not reach the 50% reduction of pain or an improvement of at least 2 points in the Patient Global Impression of Change, having used all drug classes indicated as first, second, or third line in the most recent and widely agreed international guidelines, for at least 1 month after titration to the highest tolerable dose." Our consensus statement might be useful for identifying eligible patients for invasive treatments, and selecting patients in pharmacological trials, thus improving patient care and helping clinical research.

Pharmacology of pain.

This article discusses the mechanisms of action of the main drugs used to treat pain, in particular inflammatory pain. The drugs are described following a classification based on the steps of pain processing that they primarily affect.

Changing the paradigm in postherpetic neuralgia treatment: lidocaine 700 mg medicated plaster.

OBJECTIVE: Chronic pain is currently considered a disease state with biopsychosocial consequences and a negative impact on patients' quality of life (QoL). Pain from postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) can persist for months or years and is a prototypical example of chronic pain. We analyzed PHN as a model of chronic pain, including its effects on QoL and clinical aspects. We explored treatment options, focusing on the topical treatment with lidocaine 700 mg medicated plaster (LMP) and how this impacts PHN management. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This article is a narrative review of published studies. Preclinical and clinical studies were retrieved from literature through a search performed in PubMed/MEDLINE. RESULTS: To choose the appropriate treatment for chronic pains, such as PHN, not only efficacy but also tolerability, manageability, practicality, and compliance are important factors, especially in the long term. It is also important to set treatment expectations with the patients as total suppression of pain may be unrealistic, and a balance needs to be found between pain control and the minimization of adverse events. In this respect, LMP may be the best currently available treatment: it is easy to use, has low systemic absorption and thus a low risk for pharmacological interactions. Therefore, treatments can be personalized, and concomitant medications can be added, if needed. Recent data from a real-world study support this view by showing that LMP has superior effectiveness in reducing pain and improving the QoL compared to other commonly used systemic treatments and confirming its good tolerability profile that is mainly characterized by localized skin reactions. CONCLUSIONS: LMP is one of the best currently available treatment options for PHN patients balancing good efficacy with an excellent tolerability profile and can therefore be considered for use as a first-line treatment for PHN.

Osteoarticular pain: therapeutic approach by paradigms.

Osteoarticular pain is a common condition in the adult population. It is a nociceptive pain modulated by different factors, and it is one of the major symptoms that force patients to seek medical advice. Since osteoarticular pain has a complex pathophysiology and it is not a linear condition, we propose in this paper an original approach to osteoarticular pain by paradigms, where a paradigm refers to a framework of concepts, results, and procedures within which subsequent work is structured. The paradigm presented is a conceptual tool that could help clinicians to choose the correct therapy considering both pain characteristics and clinical features.

A "novel" association to treat pain: tramadol/dexketoprofen. The first drug of a "new pharmacological class".

Acute and chronic pain have an important socio-economical impact. In order to help physicians to choose the appropriate drug, especially for cancer pain, in 1986 WHO has developed a three-step analgesic "ladder" for cancer pain relief in adults. Later it has also been used for acute pain and chronic non-cancer pain. In step I nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are considered with or without adjuvants, in step II the use of weak opioids for mild-moderate pain, with or without NSAIDs and adjuvant, is suggested, while the step III is reserved to strong opioids for moderate-severe pain with or without non-opioids or adjuvants. In the last two decades, a better pathophysiology knowledge has improved pain management shifting our view from the pain ladder to a modern pain pyramid, in which drugs are selected not only on the basis of pain intensity, but mainly according to mechanisms underlying pain, including peripheral and spinal sensitization which is the main trigger of chronic pain. The best pharmacological approach has become multimodal, in which drugs belonging to different steps should be combined, matching the mechanisms of action with the type of pain. An important corollary of combining analgesic drugs with different mechanism of action is that proper matching achieves the same effect with lower doses, better outcome and fewer adverse effects. In this new perspective, fixed-dose pharmaceutical combinations of different drugs are very useful to fulfil pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics and adherence criteria, enriching the pain pyramid of half-steps between the first and second step and between the second and third step. Hence, a new fixed combination of a NSAID with peripheral and central anti-infilammatory activities, such as dexketoprofen, and a weak opioid, such as tramadol, with double analgesic activity in the spinal cord as an opioid and, at the same time, on the descending modulatory pathways, is expected to cover a wide range of acute and recurrent painful conditions, ranging from nociceptive inflammatory pain to neuropathic pain of moderate/severe intensity. In this review we evaluate the rationale that justifies its use as new class of pharmacological modality to treat pain accordingly also to a more update view of WHO pain ladder.

From acute to chronic pain: tapentadol in the progressive stages of this disease entity.

OBJECTIVE: Chronic pain is now recognized as a neural disease, which results from a maladaptive functional and structural transformation process occurring over time. In its chronic phase, pain is not just a symptom but also a disease entity. Therefore, pain must be properly addressed, as many patients still report unsatisfactory pain control despite on-going treatment. The selection of the therapy - taking into account the pathophysiological mechanisms of pain - and the right timing can result in a successful analgesic outcome. This review will present the functional and structural modifications leading to chronification of pain, focusing on the role of tapentadol in this setting. MATERIALS AND METHODS: For inclusion in this review, research studies were retrieved via a keyword-based query of multiple databases (MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane). The search was last updated in November 2016; no limitations were applied. RESULTS: Functional and structural abnormalities of the nervous system associated with pain chronification have been reported in several conditions, including osteoarthritis, chronic back pain, chronic pelvic pain and fibromyalgia. Correct identification and treatment of pain in recurrent/progressive stage is crucial to prevent chronification and related changes in neural structures. Among analgesic drugs, tapentadol, with its dual mechanism of action (opioid agonist and noradrenaline reuptake blocker), has recently resulted active in pain control at both central and spinal level. CONCLUSIONS: Tapentadol represents a suitable candidate for patients at early progressive stage of pain who have developed neuroplasticity with modification of pain pathways. The availability of different doses of tapentadol may help clinicians to tailor treatment based on the individual need of each patient, with the aim to enhance therapeutic appropriateness in the treatment of musculoskeletal and neuropathic pain.

Human neuronal nicotinic receptors.

Nicotine is a very widely used drug of abuse, which exerts a number of neurovegetative, behavioural and psychological effects by interacting with neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (NAChRs). These receptors are distributed widely in human brain and ganglia, and form a family of ACh-gated ion channels of different subtypes, each of which has a specific pharmacology and physiology. As human NAChRs have been implicated in a number of human central nervous system disorders (including the neurodegenerative Alzheimer's disease, schizophrenia and epilepsy), they are suitable potential targets for rational drug therapy. Much of our current knowledge about the structure and function of NAChRs comes from studies carried out in other species, such as rodents and chicks, and information concerning human nicotinic receptors is still incomplete and scattered in the literature. Nevertheless, it is already evident that there are a number of differences in the anatomical distribution, physiology, pharmacology, and expression regulation of certain subtypes between the nicotinic systems of humans and other species. This review will attempt to survey the major achievements reached in the study of the structure and function of NAChRs by examining the molecular basis of their functional diversity viewed mainly from pharmacological and biochemical perspectives. It will also summarize our current knowledge concerning the structure and function of the NAChRs expressed by other species, and the newly discovered drugs used to classify their numerous subtypes. Finally, the role of NAChRs in behaviour and pathology will be considered.

Sp proteins and Phox2b regulate the expression of the human Phox2a gene.

Phox2a is a vertebrate homeodomain transcription factor that is involved in the specification of the autonomic nervous system. We have isolated the 5' regulatory region of the human Phox2a gene and studied the transcriptional mechanisms underlying its expression. We first identified the minimal gene promoter by means of molecular and functional criteria and demonstrated that its activity relies on a degenerate TATA box and a canonical Sp1 site. We then concentrated on the region immediately upstream of the promoter and found that it stimulates transcription in a neurospecific manner because its deletion caused a substantial decline in reporter gene expression only in neuronal cells. This DNA region contains a putative binding site for homeodomain transcription factors, and its mutation severely affects the transcriptional activity of the entire 5' regulatory region, thus indicating that this site is necessary for the expression of Phox2a in this cellular context. The use of the electrophoretic mobility shift assay showed that Phox2b/PMX2b is capable of specifically interacting with this site, and cotransfection experiments demonstrated that it is capable of transactivating the human Phox2a promoter. Many data obtained from knock-out mice support the hypothesis that Phox2a acts downstream of Phox2b during the development of most of the autonomic nervous system. We have provided the first molecular evidence that Phox2b can regulate the expression of Phox2a by directly binding to its 5' regulatory region.

Association between SNAP-25 gene polymorphisms and cognition in autism: functional consequences and potential therapeutic strategies.

Synaptosomal-associated protein of 25 kDa (SNAP-25) is involved in different neuropsychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Consistently, SNAP-25 polymorphisms in humans are associated with hyperactivity and/or with low cognitive scores. We analysed five SNAP-25 gene polymorphisms (rs363050, rs363039, rs363043, rs3746544 and rs1051312) in 46 autistic children trying to correlate them with Childhood Autism Rating Scale and electroencephalogram (EEG) abnormalities. The functional effects of rs363050 single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) on the gene transcriptional activity, by means of the luciferase reporter gene, were evaluated. To investigate the functional consequences that SNAP-25 reduction may have in children, the behaviour and EEG of SNAP-25(+/-) adolescent mice (SNAP-25(+/+)) were studied. Significant association of SNAP-25 polymorphism with decreasing cognitive scores was observed. Analysis of transcriptional activity revealed that SNP rs363050 encompasses a regulatory element, leading to protein expression decrease. Reduction of SNAP-25 levels in adolescent mice was associated with hyperactivity, cognitive and social impairment and an abnormal EEG, characterized by the occurrence of frequent spikes. Both EEG abnormalities and behavioural deficits were rescued by repeated exposure for 21 days to sodium salt valproate (VLP). A partial recovery of SNAP-25 expression content in SNAP-25(+/-) hippocampi was also observed by means of western blotting. A reduced expression of SNAP-25 is responsible for the cognitive deficits in children affected by autism spectrum disorders, as presumably occurring in the presence of rs363050(G) allele, and for behavioural and EEG alterations in adolescent mice. VLP treatment could result in novel therapeutic strategies.

Genomic organization and transcription of the human retinol dehydrogenase 10 (RDH10) gene.

A cDNA clone up-regulated in hydraulic lung edema in rabbit showed high similarity with human RDH10 mRNA, which encodes a protein involved in retinoic acid metabolism. We defined the organization of the human gene, which includes a unique transcriptional start site, a coding region with six translated exons and a 3' untranslated region containing at least two used polyadenylation sites. The two poly(A) signals are responsible for the production of the 3 and 4 kb RDH10 mRNA isoforms detected in several human tissues and cell lines.

Anti-neuronal nicotinic receptor antibodies in MG patients with thymoma.

We tested 24 MG patients with thymoma (11 invasive) for the presence of anti-neuronal nicotinic receptor subtype antibodies and found that none had antibodies against the alpha 7-containing subtype, and only one (with invasive thymoma) had antibodies directed against the alpha 3-containing subtype. In this patient, the anti-alpha 3 antibodies recognized the extracellular part of the alpha 3 subunit. They developed later than the anti-alpha 1 muscle antibodies, with their titer increasing during the illness, while that of the anti-alpha1 muscle antibody decreased. Our data suggest that there is no correlation between the presence of anti-alpha 3 antibodies and thymoma.

Distribution of nicotinic receptors in cynomolgus monkey brain and ganglia: localization of alpha 3 subunit mRNA, alpha-bungarotoxin and nicotine binding sites.

The distribution of nicotinic receptors in the brain and ganglia of the Cynomolgus monkey was studied by in situ hybridization and receptor autoradiography. A 35S-labeled antisense riboprobe for the mRNA of the alpha 3 subunit of the human nicotinic receptor, [3H]L-nicotine and [125]alpha-bungarotoxin were used as markers. The highest levels of alpha 3-mRNA were observed in the hippocampus, the medial habenula, the lateral geniculate, the granular layer of the cerebellum, as well as in the pineal gland; moderate levels were found in other nuclei of the thalamus and in the deeper layers of the cerebral cortex. High-affinity binding sites for [3H]L-nicotine were observed mainly in the thalamus. The distribution of [125I]alpha-bungarotoxin binding sites was different from that observed for alpha 3-mRNA and [3H]L-nicotine; they were most abundant in a few specific thalamic nuclei, in the medial habenula and in lamina I of the cerebral cortex. The localization of these three markers was also investigated in the sympathetic, parasympathetic and sensory ganglia of the monkey. Intense labeling was observed for alpha 3-mRNA and for [125I]alpha-bungarotoxin in the sympathetic and parasympathetic ganglia, whereas no positive signal was seen in the ganglion of Gasser. [3H]L-nicotine binding was not detected in any of the ganglia examined. High levels of mRNA for the alpha 3 subunit of the nicotinic receptor were also detected in human sympathetic ganglia. Comparison between alpha 3-mRNA distribution and [3H]L-nicotine binding suggests that in the Cynomolgus monkey brain, the alpha 3 subunit may participate in the formation of more than one nicotinic receptor subtype: a high-affinity binding site for [3H]L-nicotine in the thalamus, and other sites with low affinity for nicotine in the medial habenula and cerebral cortex. Both the alpha 3-mRNA and the [125I]alpha-bungarotoxin are highly expressed in the sympathetic ganglia; however, since no information is presently available on the intraneuronal cellular localization, it cannot be established whether or not they are both present at synaptic sites.

Expression of the alpha3 nicotinic receptor subunit mRNA in aging and Alzheimer's disease.

Changes in the number of high-affinity nicotine binding sites have been widely reported in specific regions of the human brain during aging and in degenerative neurological diseases associated with aging, such as Alzheimer's disease. Nicotinic receptors are highly diverse and a description of the molecular subtypes affected in such conditions has not been achieved to date. To investigate the status of the alpha3 subunit-containing subtypes in such conditions, we assessed by in situ hybridisation the alpha3 mRNA density in the hippocampus, entorhinal cortex and thalamus of Alzheimer's patients and age-matched controls. No significant difference in the expression of the alpha3 mRNA, either qualitative or quantitative, was found between Alzheimer's individuals and controls in any of the analysed areas. This result suggests that the nicotine binding changes occurring in these areas in Alzheimer's patients are not correlated to a variation of the alpha3 mRNA in the same regions. Nevertheless, a negative correlation between the alpha3 mRNA density and the age was observed in the entorhinal cortex of both the Alzheimer's and the normal subjects, suggesting a potentially extensive decay of the alpha3-expressing neurons or loss of alpha3-containing receptors in intact neurons of the entorhinal cortex in the late elderly.

Neuronal nicotinic receptors, important new players in brain function.

Acetylcholine receptors are cationic channels whose opening is controlled by acetylcholine. They are key molecules in the cholinergic nicotinic transmission in a number of areas of the central and peripheral nervous system. Because of the structural complexity, given by the numerous subunits that forms these receptors, they have different pharmacological and biophysical properties. Here we give a brief account of the known and consolidated data regarding neuronal nicotinic receptors, as as an introduction to the articles reported in this issue, in order to allow readers who are not familiar with the field to place the detailed information in the right context.

Transcriptional regulation of the human alpha5 nicotinic receptor subunit gene in neuronal and non-neuronal tissues.

The human alpha5 nicotinic receptor subunit gene appears to be expressed in several structures of the nervous system, but also in a number of non-neuronal tissues, with maximal expressions occurring in the entire gastrointestinal tract, thymus and testis. To understand whether specific transcriptional mechanisms are involved in the tissue-specific expression of the alpha5 subunit in neuronal and non-neuronal cells, we isolated the 5'-regulatory region of the human gene and characterized its functional properties. We demonstrate that specific DNA elements, with positive or negative activities depending on the cell type, are responsible for the diversified expression of the alpha5 subunit in different tissues. We therefore conclude that the expression of the alpha5 subunit relies on a highly complex promoter that uses distinct regulatory elements to comply with the different functional and developmental requirements of the various tissues and organs.

Molecular cloning of human neuronal nicotinic receptor alpha 3-subunit.

Neuronal nicotinic receptors (nAchRs) have been isolated or cloned in insect, bird and mammalian neurons, but no information exists on the primary structure of human neuronal nAchRs. By screening a cDNA library from the human neuroblastoma cell line IMR 32 with a cDNA probe corresponding to the full length of rat alpha 3-nicotinic subunit, we have identified an open reading frame encoding a protein of 502 amino acids. This protein shows all the features of members of the ligand-gated receptor superfamily and has two cysteine residues at positions 192, 193 which are typical of the nicotinic alpha-subunits. Because of its high homology to rat alpha 3 (93% amino acid identity), we conclude that we have cloned the human alpha 3-nicotinic subunit.

The binding site for alpha-bungarotoxin resides in the sequence 188-201 of the alpha-subunit of acetylcholine receptor: structure, conformation and binding characteristics of peptide [Lys] 188-201.

In order to study where the binding site of cholinergic agents is in the sequence of the alpha-subunit of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (AChR), we have synthetized 3 peptides with an amino acid sequence corresponding to the following sequences of the alpha-subunit of Torpedo californica AChR: 125-143, 158-167, [Lys] 188-201. For binding studies the peptides were immobilized on Sepharose 4B. Only the peptide [Lys] 188-201 binds 125I-alpha-bungarotoxin (alpha-Bgtx) with Kd of 1.03 microM. The binding of 125I-alpha-Bgtx to the peptide is reduced by 85% after reduction of the S-S bridge present between 192-193 cysteines indicating that an intact disulfide bond is important for toxin binding. The 125I-alpha-Bgtx binding is inhibited by curare, decamethonium, hexamethonium but not by carbamylcholine and Naja naja siamensis alpha-toxin and P15 toxin. All these data provide direct evidence that the sequence 188-201 of the alpha-subunit of AChR binds alpha-Bgtx and that this binding has a pharmacological profile similar to that of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor.

Response of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) D-11 cell line to 3-methylcholanthrene (3MC) exposure.

The rainbow trout cytochrome P4501A gene subfamily consists of two members, CYP1A1 and CYP1A3, which are induced by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). In this study, we investigated the induction of cytochrome P4501A3 in the rainbow trout (Onchorhynchus mykiss) D-11 cell line after 3-methylcholanthrene (3MC) exposure by generating chimeric constructs in which a 2.3 kb fragment or portion of the 5'-flanking region of the trout cytochrome CYP1A3 gene was fused to the firefly luciferase (Luc) gene. The constructs were then transiently transfected into the trout D-11 cells and their transcriptional activity measured by luciferase assay after treatment with different 3MC concentrations. Maximal induction following exposure to 2 microM 3MC was 2.2-fold after 72 h. Deletion of the region specifying the 5' untranslated region (5'UTR) of the mRNA encoding the CYP1A3 gene increased unstimulated luciferase activity but also led to a loss of response to 3MC treatment. This finding suggests that the region specifying the 5'UTR contains a negative element that is also involved in the transcriptional response to 3MC.