| Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2529743 | Current Opinion in Pharmacology | 2015 | 6 Pages |
•Opioid-producing CD4+ T lymphocytes are the main endogenous regulators of visceral pain upon colitis.•The use of opioids in IBD population is steadily increasing despite severe deleterious side effects.•To reduce centrally mediated side effects, new therapeutic strategies aim at restricting opioid action at periphery.
Intestinal inflammation results in the production of inflammatory pain-inducing mediators that may directly activate colon sensory neurons. Endogenous opioids produced by mucosal effector CD4+ T lymphocytes identified as colitogenic may paradoxically counterbalance the local pro-algesic effect of inflammatory mediators by acting on opioid receptors expressed on sensory nerve endings. The review will focus on the endogenous immune-mediated regulation of visceral inflammatory pain, current pain treatments in inflammatory bowel diseases and prospectives on new opioid therapeutic opportunities to alleviate pain but avoiding common centrally-mediated side effects.
