Substance P and inflammatory pain: potential of substance P antagonists as analgesics.
Abstract
Substance P has been implicated in peripheral inflammatory responses and recent evidence from animal models indicates that substance P (NK-1 receptor) antagonists are effective in blocking peripheral inflammatory responses as well as nociception (pain) associated with inflammation. Evidence implicating substance P in nociception is reviewed in this survey, along with evidence on the effects of NK-1 receptor antagonists and with some comments on the usefulness of such antagonists as analgesics.