MolecularyCellular Mechanisms
Elegant molecular genetic studies conducted in the past few years
have now enabled us to identify specific molecules that are involved
in the processes of pain transduction. A giant step forward came
with the identification of proteins called vanilloid receptors, which
allow us to detect noxious heat . The VR1 protein is a heat
transducer because it converts thermal energy into an electrical
signal (action potentials) that is sent to the central nervous system,
enabling us to detect a stimulus as painfully hot. Without the VR1
receptor, one does not effectively detect noxious heat, particularly
in the setting of inflammation (6, 18). Recently, basic pain researchers
have identified a number of transduction molecules that will
clearly be key targets in developing pioneering pain therapies