AI Article Synopsis
- Psalmotoxin 1 is a peptide from the South American tarantula that effectively reduces various types of pain in rodents, including thermal and neuropathic pain.
- It works by blocking a specific ion channel (acid-sensing ion channel 1a), which activates the body's natural pain-relieving system (endogenous enkephalin pathway).
- The pain-relief effects of Psalmotoxin 1 can be inhibited by certain opioid receptor blockers, and are absent in genetically modified mice lacking the Penk1 gene.
Article Abstract
Psalmotoxin 1, a peptide extracted from the South American tarantula Psalmopoeus cambridgei, has very potent analgesic properties against thermal, mechanical, chemical, inflammatory and neuropathic pain in rodents. It exerts its action by blocking acid-sensing ion channel 1a, and this blockade results in an activation of the endogenous enkephalin pathway. The analgesic properties of the peptide are suppressed by antagonists of the mu and delta-opioid receptors and are lost in Penk1-/- mice.
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| http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nn1940 | DOI Listing |
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