Significance of metabotropic glutamate receptor antagonists in experimental neuropathic pain in animals

Abstract

Neuropathic pain is a serious therapeutic problem. Current therapy is often ineffective, and the available drugs have serious side effects. For these reasons, the search for alternative therapeutic solutions is underway. Recent research on metabotropic receptors for glutamic acid (mGluR) gives great hope for the development of a new type of drug in the treatment of neuropathic pain. Particularly promising are antagonists of mGluR group I receptors. There are many studies demonstrating the efficacy of non-competitive mGlu1 and mGlu5 receptor antagonists in animal models of neuropathic pain. The purpose of this study was to gather information obtained from research on the role of mGluR antagonists in neuropathic pain. The blockade of intracellular glutamatergic receptor could represent a new strategy for the development of effective therapies for neuropathic pain.