analgesics

Human data and experiments in mice challenge the common use of anti-inflammatory drugs to treat pain.

Researchers silence pain neurons in the mouse spinal cord with injections of botulinum toxins modified to bind to the neurons’ receptors.

Researchers are beginning to tease apart the mechanisms underlying differences in how males and females respond to powerful painkillers.

Decades after their discovery by bioprospectors, amphibian-derived analgesics continue to attract scientific attention.

If successful, the treatments could alleviate patients’ pain by reducing inflammation.

Compounds in the arachnids’ venom interact with ion channels to both cause and block pain.

In tiny doses, the pufferfish’s tetrodotoxin can be turned into a pain-relieving ion channel blocker.

Arachnids harbor a plentiful array of molecules that target mammalian pain receptors.

Studying cone snail venom has yielded novel pain pathways, but the peptides that function as toxins are difficult to translate into drugs.

A cornucopia of toxins in the animal kingdom could provide inspiration for novel painkillers, but so far, effective drugs have proven elusive.
 

Painful snake bites may hold clues to developing analgesic drugs.

Dave Thomas, a researcher at the National Institute on Drug Abuse, talks about the harsh truths and frustrating complexity of pain and analgesia.