A novel inhibitor of endocannabinoid catabolic enzymes sheds light on behind the scene interplay between chronic pain, analgesic tolerance, and heroin dependence

Abstract

From the Aristotelian ancient Greece, pain has been associated with appetites or emotions and is opposite to pleasure. Reward and addiction is also linked to pleasure and compulsive drug seeking reinstates pleasure. Alleviation of chronic pain can induce a euphoric phase similar to what is found in addiction. Both chronic pain and addiction are recognized as a disease of the central nervous system. They share many characteristics and brain regions/mechanisms. Evidence points to the usefulness of cannabinoids as a new class of agents to add to the pharmaceutical toolbox in the management of chronic pain. Wilkerson and colleagues, in this issue, examine SA-57, an inhibitor of two different endocannabinoid catabolic enzymes FAAH and MAGL, demonstrating its analgesic effectiveness and morphine-sparing properties in a chronic pain model, as well as its ability to reduce heroin seeking behavior in a self-administration paradigm in mice. This timely study emphasizes the need for development of more efficacious chronic pain therapeutics with minimized abuse potential and/or reinforcing properties. It also highlights the need for better understanding of the overlapping circuitry of chronic pain, reward, and addiction.