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Review
. 2022 Apr 1:15:867-877.
doi: 10.2147/JPR.S348324. eCollection 2022.

Nociceptors: Their Role in Body's Defenses, Tissue Specific Variations and Anatomical Update

Vladimir N Nikolenko  1   2 , Ekaterina M Shelomentseva  2 , Maria M Tsvetkova  2 , Elina I Abdeeva  1 , Dmitriy B Giller  1 , Juliya V Babayeva  1 , Evgeny E Achkasov  1 , Liliya V Gavryushova  3 , Mikhail Y Sinelnikov  1   4
Affiliations
Review

Nociceptors: Their Role in Body's Defenses, Tissue Specific Variations and Anatomical Update

Vladimir N Nikolenko et al. J Pain Res. .

Abstract

The human body is constantly under the influence of numerous pathological factors: both external and internal. These factors can be potentially harmful and are perceived as such with a specialized nervous system subunit: the nociceptive system. The functional unit of the nociceptive system is the nociceptor. Recent studies have shown that nociceptors play a crucial role in maintaining of defensive homeostasis (responsive, immune, behavioral). Nociceptors respond to potentially harmful stimuli within viscera, bones, muscles, skin and specialized sensory organs. They function as complex predictors of harm through formation of pain stimulus. Their function and structures vary within different tissues. This variability reflects the anatomical and pathological peculiarities of varying tissues. Nociceptors play a significant role in adaptive, protective and behavioral reactions. Their functional capabilities and vast spread throughout the body make them the main units of the body's defense system, allowing us to interact with the inner and outer environments.

Keywords: defensive homeostasis; nociceptors; pain perception; tissue specific variability.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest in this work.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Ascending pathways of Type-C (green) and Type-Aδ (red) nociceptive fibers.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Radial projections of a Schwann cell surround the unmyelinated fibers and penetrate with them into the epidermal layer of the skin.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Mesh-like network of Schwann cells at the subepidermal border of the skin.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Peptidergic and non-peptidergic nociceptor differentiation.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Interrelation between visceral and cutaneous nociceptive neurons.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Nociceptor-inducing conditioning (NIC).
Figure 7
Figure 7
TRPV1 channel.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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