REVIEW article
Front. Pain Res.
Sec. Neuropathic Pain
Volume 6 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpain.2025.1648492
Research advances in the treatment of neuropathic pain
Provisionally accepted
- Department of Anesthesia and Perioperative Medicine, Qingdao Central Hospital, University of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences（Qingdao Central Hospital）, Qingdao, China
Select one of your emails
You have multiple emails registered with Frontiers:
Notify me on publication
Please enter your email address:
If you already have an account, please login
You don't have a Frontiers account ? You can register here
Neuropathic pain is a debilitating condition caused by lesions or diseases affecting the somatosensory system,representing a significant global health burden. This complex pain syndrome is often associated with comorbidities such as anxiety and depression, and is caused by various etiologies, including diabetic neuropathy, traumatic injuries, and neurological disorders. Current pharmacological management strategies, including opioids, antidepressants, anticonvulsants, and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, are limited by side effects, potential for abuse, and insufficient long-term efficacy. These limitations underscore the urgent need for new therapeutic approaches and a deeper understanding of pain modulation mechanisms.In recent years, substantial progress has been made in basic and clinical research aimed at identifying new therapeutic targets and intervention strategies for neuropathic pain. This review synthesizes the latest knowledge on emerging preclinical targets and investigational drugs currently undergoing clinical evaluation. Additionally, it examines innovative non-pharmacological interventions, including motor cortex stimulation and high-frequency bipolar rectangular pulse stimulation, as potential adjunctive therapies. By integrating findings from recent literature, this article provides a comprehensive overview of the evolving therapeutic landscape for neuropathic pain, highlighting promising directions for future research and clinical applications. Insights gained from this analysis may contribute to the development of more effective and safer treatment modalities for this challenging condition.
Keywords: neuropathic pain, treatment goals, Therapeutic target, Research progress, Investigational drug
Received: 18 Jun 2025; Accepted: 22 Jul 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Zhang, Qi, Li and Wang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Shoushi Wang, Department of Anesthesia and Perioperative Medicine, Qingdao Central Hospital, University of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences（Qingdao Central Hospital）, Qingdao, China
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.