The role of oligodendrocytes in chronic pain: cellular and molecular mechanisms.

Abstract

Oligodendrocytes are glial cells responsible for the myelination of axons within the central nervous system. Many studies have demonstrated that glial cells, mainly microglia and astrocytes, are actively involved in many pathological pain states. Although oligodendrocytes have been widely studied in relation to neurodegenerative diseases, their role in pain genesis in the spinal cord is minimally described and not well understood. Few studies have proposed novel molecules or mechanisms of interaction with consistent evidence of oligodendrocyte participation in the central pain process; however, recent findings support a potential role of oligodendrocytes in chronic pain. Therefore, this review aimed to gather and analyze scientific findings related to the contribution of oligodendrocytes to this symptom. Based on these previous studies, we focused on describing the specific mechanisms involved in the participation of oligodendrocytes in pain genesis.