PI3K/Akt Pathway: A Potential Therapeutic Target for Chronic Pain

Title:PI3K/Akt Pathway: A Potential Therapeutic Target for Chronic Pain

Volume: 23 Issue: 12

Author(s): Shu-Ping Chen, Ya-Qun Zhou, Dai-Qiang Liu, Wen Zhang, Anne Manyande, Xue-Hai Guan, Yu-ke Tian, Da-Wei Ye*Deeq Mohamed Omar

Affiliation:

• Cancer Center, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan,China

Keywords: PI3K, Akt, chronic pain, bone cancer pain, neuropathic pain, inflammatory pain, opioid tolerance.

Abstract: Chronic pain is among the most disabling and costly disorders, with prevalence ranging from 10% to 55%. However, current therapeutic strategies for chronic pain are unsatisfactory due to our poor understanding of its mechanisms. Thus, novel therapeutic targets need to be found in order to improve these patients’ quality of life. PI3K and its downstream Akt are widely expressed in the spinal cord, particularly in the laminae I-IV of the dorsal horn, where nociceptive C and Aδ fibers of primary afferents principally terminate. Recent studies have demonstrated their critical roles in the development and maintenance of chronic pain. In this review, we summarized the roles and mechanisms of PI3K/Akt pathway in the progression of chronic pain through sciatic nerve injury, diabetic neuropathy, spinal cord injury, bone cancer, opioid tolerance, or opioid-induced hyperalgesia.

Cite this article as:

Chen Shu-Ping, Zhou Ya-Qun, Liu Dai-Qiang, Zhang Wen, Manyande Anne, Guan Xue-Hai, Tian Yu-ke, Ye Da-Wei*, Omar Mohamed Deeq, PI3K/Akt Pathway: A Potential Therapeutic Target for Chronic Pain, Current Pharmaceutical Design 2017; 23 (12) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1381612823666170210150147