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©The Author(s) 2023. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
Stem cells and pain
Matheus Deroco Veloso da Silva, Maiara Piva, Geovana Martelossi-Cebinelli, Mariana Stinglin Rosa Ribas, Beatriz Hoffmann Salles Bianchini, Olivia K Heintz, Rubia Casagrande, Waldiceu A Verri Jr
Matheus Deroco Veloso da Silva, Maiara Piva, Geovana Martelossi-Cebinelli, Mariana Stinglin Rosa Ribas, Beatriz Hoffmann Salles Bianchini, Department of Pathology, Laboratory of Pain, Inflammation, Neuropathy and Cancer, State University of Londrina, Londrina 86057-970, Paraná, Brazil
Olivia K Heintz, Morningside Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA 01655, United States
Rubia Casagrande, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Center of Health Science, State University of Londrina, Londrina 86038-440, Paraná, Brazil
Waldiceu A Verri Jr, Department of Pathology, Laboratory of Pain, Inflammation, Neuropathy and Cancer, Center of Biological Sciences, State University of Londrina, Londrina 86057-970, Paraná, Brazil
Author contributions: All authors contributed equally to the elaboration of the article.
Supported by Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico, CNPq; #203112/2020-2, #307852/2019-9, #309633/2021-4, #405027/2021-4, and #427946/2018-2; PRONEX grant supported by SETI/Fundação Araucária and MCTI/CNPq, and Governo do Estado do Paraná (agreement #014/2017); Fundação Araucária (PBA/PROPPG 13/2021 agreements #276/2022-PBA and #250/2022-PBA); Financiadora de Estudos e Projetos-FINEP; and CAPES (finance code #001).
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See:
https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/ Corresponding author: Waldiceu A Verri Jr, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Pathology, Laboratory of Pain, Inflammation, Neuropathy and Cancer, Center of Biological Sciences, State University of Londrina, Rodovia Celso Garcia Cid/Pr 445 Km 380, Londrina 86057-970, Paraná, Brazil. waverri@uel.br
Received: July 28, 2023
Peer-review started: July 28, 2023
First decision: September 27, 2023
Revised: November 6, 2023
Accepted: November 30, 2023
Article in press: November 30, 2023
Published online: December 26, 2023
Pain can be defined as an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience caused by either actual or potential tissue damage or even resemble that unpleasant experience. For years, science has sought to find treatment alternatives, with minimal side effects, to relieve pain. However, the currently available pharmacological options on the market show significant adverse events. Therefore, the search for a safer and highly efficient analgesic treatment has become a priority. Stem cells (SCs) are non-specialized cells with a high capacity for replication, self-renewal, and a wide range of differentiation possibilities. In this review, we provide evidence that the immune and neuromodulatory properties of SCs can be a valuable tool in the search for ideal treatment strategies for different types of pain. With the advantage of multiple administration routes and dosages, therapies based on SCs for pain relief have demonstrated meaningful results with few downsides. Nonetheless, there are still more questions than answers when it comes to the mechanisms and pathways of pain targeted by SCs. Thus, this is an evolving field that merits further investigation towards the development of SC-based analgesic therapies, and this review will approach all of these aspects.
Core Tip: Since the discovery of stem cells (SCs), they have emerged from a distant dream into a routine therapeutic approach depending on the field. Nowadays, the use of SCs in pain management is mainly based on their anti-inflammatory capacities, releasing neurotrophic factors and providing cellular support to replace damaged neural cells. Evidence supports that SCs can influence nociceptor neuron sensitization building a foundation for the application of these versatile cells in the treatment of neuropathic and inflammatory pain.
