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Review
. 2022 Jan 27:2022:9989272.
doi: 10.1155/2022/9989272. eCollection 2022.

An Insight into Potential Pharmacotherapeutic Agents for Painful Diabetic Neuropathy

Zunaira Qureshi  1 , Murtaza Najabat Ali  1 , Minahil Khalid  1
Affiliations
Review

An Insight into Potential Pharmacotherapeutic Agents for Painful Diabetic Neuropathy

Zunaira Qureshi et al. J Diabetes Res. .

Abstract

Diabetes is the 4th most common disease affecting the world's population. It is accompanied by many complications that deteriorate the quality of life. Painful diabetic neuropathy (PDN) is one of the debilitating consequences of diabetes that effects one-third of diabetic patients. Unfortunately, there is no internationally recommended drug that directly hinders the pathological mechanisms that result in painful diabetic neuropathy. Clinical studies have shown that anticonvulsant and antidepressant therapies have proven fruitful in management of pain associated with PDN. Currently, the FDA approved medications for painful diabetic neuropathies include duloxetine, pregabalin, tapentadol extended release, and capsaicin (for foot PDN only). The FDA has also approved the use of spinal cord stimulation system for the treatment of diabetic neuropathy pain. The drugs recommended by other regulatory bodies include gabapentin, amitriptyline, dextromethorphan, tramadol, venlafaxine, sodium valproate, and 5 % lidocaine patch. These drugs are only partially effective and have adverse effects associated with their use. Treating painful symptoms in diabetic patient can be frustrating not only for the patients but also for health care workers, so additional clinical trials for novel and conventional treatments are required to devise more effective treatment for PDN with minimal side effects. This review gives an insight on the pathways involved in the pathogenesis of PDN and the potential pharmacotherapeutic agents. This will be followed by an overview on the FDA-approved drugs for PDN and commercially available topical analgesic and their effects on painful diabetic neuropathies.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no conflict of interest to declare.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Clinical appearance of the most prevalent type of diabetic neuropathy and progression of sensory loss over the course of DSPN. Adapted from [13] (CC BY 4.0)
Figure 2
Figure 2
Important pathophysiological pathways involved in diabetic neuropathy [47]
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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MeSH terms