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Roles of inflammation, neurogenic inflammation, and neuroinflammation in pain

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Abstract

Inflammation is the body’s response to injury and infection, involving a complex biological response of the somatosensory, immune, autonomic, and vascular systems. Inflammatory mediators such as prostaglandin, proinflammatory cytokines, and chemokines induce pain via direct activation of nociceptors, the primary sensory neurons that detect noxious stimuli. Neurogenic inflammation is triggered by nerve activation and results in neuropeptide release and rapid plasma extravasation and edema, contributing to pain conditions such as headache. Neuroinflammation is a localized inflammation in the peripheral nervous system (PNS) and central nervous system (CNS). A characteristic feature of neuroinflammation is the activation of glial cells in dorsal root ganglia, spinal cord, and brain which leads to the production of proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines in the PNS and CNS that drives peripheral sensitization and central sensitization. Here, we discuss the distinct roles of inflammation, neurogenic inflammation, and neuroinflammation in the regulation of different types of pain conditions, with a special focus on neuroinflammation in postoperative pain and opioid-induced hyperalgesia.

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Acknowledgements

This study is supported in part by Grants of R01DE17794, R01DE22743, R0187988 to RRJ from the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, USA.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Translational Pain Medicine, Department of Anesthesiology, Duke University Medical Center, 3 Genome CT, MSRB3 Room 6148, Durham, NC, 27710, USA

    Megumi Matsuda, Yul Huh & Ru-Rong Ji

  2. Research Unit for the Neurobiology of Pain, Department of Anesthesiology, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan

    Megumi Matsuda

Authors
  1. Megumi Matsuda
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  2. Yul Huh
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  3. Ru-Rong Ji
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Megumi Matsuda or Ru-Rong Ji.

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The authors have no competing financial interests in this study.

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Matsuda, M., Huh, Y. & Ji, RR. Roles of inflammation, neurogenic inflammation, and neuroinflammation in pain. J Anesth 33, 131–139 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00540-018-2579-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00540-018-2579-4

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