Abstract
Although acute itch has a protective role by removing irritants to avoid further damage, chronic itch is debilitating, significantly impacting quality of life. Over the past two decades, a considerable amount of stimulating research has been carried out to delineate mechanisms of itch at the molecular, cellular, and circuit levels. There is growing evidence that transient receptor potential (TRP) channels play important roles in itch signaling. The purpose of this review is to summarize our current knowledge about the role of TRP channels in the generation of itch under both physiological and pathological conditions, thereby identifying them as potential drug targets for effective anti-itch therapies.
Highlights
Itch, known as pruritus, is an unpleasant sensation provoking the scratch reflex [1]
Appeared to be the sole mediator of both sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P)-induced itch and pain responses through promoting excitability of different primary afferents: S1P receptor 3 (S1PR3) and TRPA1 co-existed in a subset of pruriceptors, but S1PR3 was co-expressed with TRPV1 in a subset of heat nociceptors
Dry skin-associated chronic itch could be ameliorated by cooling in mice [120]. These results suggested that TRPM8 was an itch modulator and that the TRPM8-mediated counter-stimulus activated a specific neural circuit that represented a potential cellular mechanism that could be exploited for chronic itch treatments
Summary
Known as pruritus, is an unpleasant sensation provoking the scratch reflex [1]. By contrast, may be maladaptive and leads to significant decrements in quality of life. It is associated with numerous conditions, including atopic eczema, psoriasis, urticaria, inflammatory skin diseases, chronic renal failure, cholestasis, lymphoma, and chronic liver diseases [3,4,5,6]. TRP channels respond to a diverse array of thermal, chemical, and mechanical stimuli. They are implicated in many sensory functions including taste, smell, thermoception, touch, osmolarity, and pain [8,9,10,11,12]. In the past two decades, numerous studies have demonstrated that TRP channels are critically involved in itch sensation under both physiological and pathological conditions [13,14]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
