Emerging Psychotropic Drug for the Treatment of Trigeminal Pain: Salvinorin A

Trigeminal neuralgia (TN) is chronic pain caused by damage to the somatosensorial system on the trigeminal nerve or its branches, which involves peripheral and central dysfunction pain pathways. Trigeminal pain triggers disruptive pain in regions of the face, including within and around the mouth. B...

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Main Authors: Geovanna Nallely Quiñonez-Bastidas, Lucia Elhy Grijalva-Contreras, Selene Isabel Patiño-Camacho, Andrés Navarrete
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024-11-01
Series:Pharmaceuticals
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8247/17/12/1619
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author Geovanna Nallely Quiñonez-Bastidas
Lucia Elhy Grijalva-Contreras
Selene Isabel Patiño-Camacho
Andrés Navarrete
author_facet Geovanna Nallely Quiñonez-Bastidas
Lucia Elhy Grijalva-Contreras
Selene Isabel Patiño-Camacho
Andrés Navarrete
author_sort Geovanna Nallely Quiñonez-Bastidas
collection DOAJ
description Trigeminal neuralgia (TN) is chronic pain caused by damage to the somatosensorial system on the trigeminal nerve or its branches, which involves peripheral and central dysfunction pain pathways. Trigeminal pain triggers disruptive pain in regions of the face, including within and around the mouth. Besides clinical experiences, translating the language of suffering into scientific terminology presents substantial challenges. Due to the complex and multifactorial pathophysiology underlying trigeminal pain, elucidating its social impact presents significant difficulties. Carbamazepine and oxcarbazepine are first-line treatments for TN, achieving approximately 50% pain reduction in 60–70% of treated patients. However, their efficacy is often limited by common side effects, such as dizziness, vertigo, nausea, seizures, and cognitive symptoms. In some cases, patients experience severe side effects, including myelosuppression, hyponatremia, hormonal imbalances, liver toxicity, suicidal ideation, teratogenicity, and other adverse reactions. Given these clinical limitations, the search for new painkiller candidates continues. Hence, we focused this review on salvinorin A (SalA), a natural agonist of κ-opioid receptors (KORs), which demonstrated anti-nociceptive, anti-inflammatory, and anti-neuropathic properties in various experimental models of the spinal sensory system. Furthermore, preclinical evidence indicates that SalA does not induce dependence and demonstrates a favorable toxicological and safety profile in comparison with currently marketed opioid drugs. We propose Salvinorin A as a promising candidate for treating trigeminal neuralgia, offering the potential for reduced adverse effects.
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spelling doaj-art-c710a0c0c2964de7a3e438f289fdbdbb2025-08-20T02:01:11ZengMDPI AGPharmaceuticals1424-82472024-11-011712161910.3390/ph17121619Emerging Psychotropic Drug for the Treatment of Trigeminal Pain: Salvinorin AGeovanna Nallely Quiñonez-Bastidas0Lucia Elhy Grijalva-Contreras1Selene Isabel Patiño-Camacho2Andrés Navarrete3Centro de Investigación y Docencia en Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Autónoma de Sinaloa, Eustaquio Buelna 91, Burócrata, Culiacan 80030, MexicoPrograma de Licenciatura en Fisioterapia, Universidad Estatal de Sonora, Unidad Académica Hermosillo, Hermosillo 83100, MexicoFacultad de Ciencias Químico-Biológicas, Universidad Autónoma de Sinaloa, Ciudad Universitaria, Culiacan 80013, MexicoDepartamento de Farmacia, Facultad de Química, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad Universitaria, Coyoacán, Ciudad de Mexico 04510, MexicoTrigeminal neuralgia (TN) is chronic pain caused by damage to the somatosensorial system on the trigeminal nerve or its branches, which involves peripheral and central dysfunction pain pathways. Trigeminal pain triggers disruptive pain in regions of the face, including within and around the mouth. Besides clinical experiences, translating the language of suffering into scientific terminology presents substantial challenges. Due to the complex and multifactorial pathophysiology underlying trigeminal pain, elucidating its social impact presents significant difficulties. Carbamazepine and oxcarbazepine are first-line treatments for TN, achieving approximately 50% pain reduction in 60–70% of treated patients. However, their efficacy is often limited by common side effects, such as dizziness, vertigo, nausea, seizures, and cognitive symptoms. In some cases, patients experience severe side effects, including myelosuppression, hyponatremia, hormonal imbalances, liver toxicity, suicidal ideation, teratogenicity, and other adverse reactions. Given these clinical limitations, the search for new painkiller candidates continues. Hence, we focused this review on salvinorin A (SalA), a natural agonist of κ-opioid receptors (KORs), which demonstrated anti-nociceptive, anti-inflammatory, and anti-neuropathic properties in various experimental models of the spinal sensory system. Furthermore, preclinical evidence indicates that SalA does not induce dependence and demonstrates a favorable toxicological and safety profile in comparison with currently marketed opioid drugs. We propose Salvinorin A as a promising candidate for treating trigeminal neuralgia, offering the potential for reduced adverse effects.https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8247/17/12/1619trigeminal neuralgiasalvinorin Aκ-opioid receptor agonist<i>Salvia divinorum</i>
spellingShingle Geovanna Nallely Quiñonez-Bastidas
Lucia Elhy Grijalva-Contreras
Selene Isabel Patiño-Camacho
Andrés Navarrete
Emerging Psychotropic Drug for the Treatment of Trigeminal Pain: Salvinorin A
Pharmaceuticals
trigeminal neuralgia
salvinorin A
κ-opioid receptor agonist
<i>Salvia divinorum</i>
title Emerging Psychotropic Drug for the Treatment of Trigeminal Pain: Salvinorin A
title_full Emerging Psychotropic Drug for the Treatment of Trigeminal Pain: Salvinorin A
title_fullStr Emerging Psychotropic Drug for the Treatment of Trigeminal Pain: Salvinorin A
title_full_unstemmed Emerging Psychotropic Drug for the Treatment of Trigeminal Pain: Salvinorin A
title_short Emerging Psychotropic Drug for the Treatment of Trigeminal Pain: Salvinorin A
title_sort emerging psychotropic drug for the treatment of trigeminal pain salvinorin a
topic trigeminal neuralgia
salvinorin A
κ-opioid receptor agonist
<i>Salvia divinorum</i>
url https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8247/17/12/1619
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