PROFIT GENIUSES AT WORK –
June 8, 2022 – In the study published on May 11th, 2022 in Science Translational Medicine, the researchers examined the mechanisms of pain in both humans and mice. They found that neutrophils – a type of white blood cell that helps the body fight infection – play a key role in resolving pain. “In analyzing the genes of people suffering from lower back pain, we observed active changes in genes over time in people whose pain went away. Changes in the blood cells and their activity seemed to be the most important factor, especially in cells called neutrophils,” says Luda Diatchenko a Professor in the Faculty of Medicine, Faculty of Dentistry, and Canada Excellence Research Chair in Human Pain Genetics.“Neutrophils dominate the early stages of inflammation and set the stage for the repair of tissue damage. Inflammation occurs for a reason, and it looks like it’s dangerous to interfere with it,” says Professor Mogil, who is also a member of the Alan Edwards Centre for Research on Pain along with Professor Diatchenko.
Blocking neutrophils in mice increased pain duration by up to tenfold. Anti-inflammatory medicines and steroids such as dexamethasone and diclofenac had the same effect, despite being helpful against pain early on.
