Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2012 May;1822(5):815-21.
doi: 10.1016/j.bbadis.2011.12.008. Epub 2011 Dec 19.

Anti-superoxide and anti-peroxynitrite strategies in pain suppression

Kali Janes  1 , William L Neumann, Daniela Salvemini
Affiliations

Anti-superoxide and anti-peroxynitrite strategies in pain suppression

Kali Janes et al. Biochim Biophys Acta. 2012 May.

Abstract

Superoxide (SO, O(2)·(-)) and its reaction product peroxynitrite (PN, ONOO(-)) have been shown to be important in the development of pain of several etiologies. While significant progress has been made in teasing out the relative contribution of SO and PN peripherally, spinally, and supraspinally during the development and maintenance of central sensitization and pain, there is still a considerable void in our understanding. Further research is required in order to develop improved therapeutic strategies for selectively eliminating SO and/or PN. Furthermore, it may be that PN is a more attractive target, in that unlike SO it has no currently known beneficial role. Our group has been at the forefront of research concerning the role of SO and PN in pain, and our current findings have led to the development of two new classes of orally active catalysts which are selective for PN decomposition while sparing SO. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Antioxidants and Antioxidant Treatment in Disease.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1. Peroxynitrite modulates central sensitization through a variety of mechanisms
Peroxynitrite (PN) formed within the periphery, the spinal cord, and in supraspinal areas modulates central sensitization associated with pain of several etiologies. Pathways known to be potentially impacted as a result of overt formation of PN are depicted.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2. Therapeutic strategies targeting peroxynitrite
Targeting peroxynitrite (PN) with superoxide dismutase mimetics (SODm), peroxynitrite decomposition catalysts (PNDCs) which also have SODm activity, or with SO-sparing PNDCs (e.g. SRI6, SRI110) may provide a promising novel therapy for pain management.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Melnikova I. Pain market. Nat Rev Drug Discov. 2010;9:589–590. - PubMed
    1. Foley KM. Misconceptions and controversies regarding the use of opioids in cancer pain. Anticancer Drugs. 1995;6(Suppl 3):4–13. - PubMed
    1. Ossipov MH, Lai J, King T, Vanderah TW, Malan TP, Jr, Hruby VJ, Porreca F. Antinociceptive and nociceptive actions of opioids. J Neurobiol. 2004;61:126–148. - PubMed
    1. Grosser T, Fries S, FitzGerald GA. Biological basis for the cardiovascular consequences of COX-2 inhibition: therapeutic challenges and opportunities. The Journal of clinical investigation. 2006;116:4–15. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Salvemini D, Doyle TM, Cuzzocrea S. Superoxide, peroxynitrite and oxidative/nitrative stress in inflammation. Biochem Soc Trans. 2006;34:965–970. - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms