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Review
. 2024 Apr 20;14(1):51.
doi: 10.1186/s13578-024-01227-3.

PD-L1/PD-1 pathway: a potential neuroimmune target for pain relief

Daling Deng #  1   2   3 , Tianhao Zhang #  1   2   3 , Lulin Ma  1   2   3 , Wenjing Zhao  1   2   3 , Shiqian Huang  1   2   3 , Kaixing Wang  1   2   3 , Shaofang Shu  1   2   3 , Xiangdong Chen  4   5   6
Affiliations
Review

PD-L1/PD-1 pathway: a potential neuroimmune target for pain relief

Daling Deng et al. Cell Biosci. .

Abstract

Pain is a common symptom of many diseases with a high incidence rate. Clinically, drug treatment, as the main method to relieve pain at present, is often accompanied by different degrees of adverse reactions. Therefore, it is urgent to gain a profound understanding of the pain mechanisms in order to develop advantageous analgesic targets. The PD-L1/PD-1 pathway, an important inhibitory molecule in the immune system, has taken part in regulating neuroinflammation and immune response. Accumulating evidence indicates that the PD-L1/PD-1 pathway is aberrantly activated in various pain models. And blocking PD-L1/PD-1 pathway will aggravate pain behaviors. This review aims to summarize the emerging evidence on the role of the PD-L1/PD-1 pathway in alleviating pain and provide an overview of the mechanisms involved in pain resolution, including the regulation of macrophages, microglia, T cells, as well as nociceptor neurons. However, its underlying mechanism still needs to be further elucidated in the future. In conclusion, despite more deep researches are needed, these pioneering studies indicate that PD-L1/PD-1 may be a potential neuroimmune target for pain relief.

Keywords: Neuroimmune; Neuroinflammation; PD-1; PD-L1; Pain.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors report no conflict of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
The mechanism overview of the PD-L1/PD-1 pathway in pain. The PD-L1/PD-1 pathway in pain relief through modulating macrophage/microglia cells, T cells, cytokines and neuronal
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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