Rutgers researchers have made a groundbreaking discovery in the regulation of touch receptors, offering a promising new approach to significantly improve the treatment of chronic pain. This groundbreaking finding has the potential to revolutionize the way we manage and alleviate persistent pain.
“Identifying a natural molecule that specifically reduces pain sensitivity offers hope for new therapeutic strategies in the management of pain,” said Tibor Rohacs, a professor in the Department of Pharmacology, Physiology, and Neuroscience at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School and a member of the Rutgers Brain Health Institute. “Our goal is to translate these findings into effective treatments that improve the quality of life for people suffering from chronic pain.”
The research, led by doctoral student Matthew Gabrielle in the laboratory of Tibor Rohacs at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, has uncovered a groundbreaking finding. In a study recently published in Nature Communications, it was revealed that a natural molecule known as phosphatidic acid has the remarkable ability to diminish the activity of specific touch-sensing ion channels within the body.
The researchers demonstrated how elevating the levels of phosphatidic acid in cells resulted in a tangible reduction in sensitivity to touch. This significant discovery was further corroborated through rigorous experimentation on sensory neurons and thorough testing in mice. The findings unequivocally showed that inhibiting the formation of phosphatidic acid led to heightened touch sensitivity in the animals.
“This finding adds to a growing body of evidence suggesting that lipids are key regulators of somatosensation,” said Gabrielle, referring to the body’s ability to perceive sensations such as touch, temperature, and pain. “By targeting the natural pathways that regulate these channels, we can develop more targeted and effective pain treatments that could be especially useful for conditions involving inflammatory pain, where current pain relief options are often inadequate.”
This research has profound implications for our understanding of touch perception and could potentially pave the way for innovative therapeutic interventions in the future.
Journal reference:
- Matthew Gabrielle, Yevgen Yudin, Yujue Wang, Xiaoyang Su & Tibor Rohacs. Phosphatidic acid is an endogenous negative regulator of PIEZO2 channels and mechanical sensitivity. Nature Communications, 2024; DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-51181-4
