SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article
Front. Pharmacol.
Sec. Experimental Pharmacology and Drug Discovery
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fphar.2025.1585545
This article is part of the Research TopicAdvancements in P2X7 Antagonists: From Mechanistic Insights to Therapeutic ApplicationsView all 3 articles
P2X7 Receptor as a Key Player in Pathological Pain: Insights into Neuropathic, Inflammatory, and Cancer Pain
Provisionally accepted
- 1Shanxi Bethune Hospital, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, China
- 2Shuozhou People's Hospital, Shuozhou, China
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Purinergic P2X7 receptor (P2X7R) is a widely distributed, non-selective ATP-gated ion channel that plays a crucial role in the regulation of neuropathic pain, inflammatory pain, and cancer pain. Understanding the function and mechanisms of P2X7R in these various pain conditions, as well as utilizing P2X7R-targeted treatments, may offer a promising strategy for alleviating or resolving pathological pain. As a result, P2X7R and its antagonists have been the subject of extensive research, leading to the development of several P2X7R antagonists that have shown promising antinociceptive effects in numerous preclinical studies. However, further investigation and development are still necessary to fully realize their therapeutic potential. This review will provide an overview of the structure and function of P2X7R, its role in different pathological pain conditions, and the latest advances in the development of P2X7R antagonists, with the goal of offering new insights into the treatment of pathological pain.
Keywords: P2X7 receptor, Pathological pain, neuropathic pain, Inflammatory pain, cancer pain
Received: 28 Feb 2025; Accepted: 25 Jun 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Jiang, Wang, Jia, Wu, Hao and Jing. 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:
Hua Wu, Shanxi Bethune Hospital, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, 030032, Shanxi Province, China
Haihu Hao, Shanxi Bethune Hospital, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, 030032, Shanxi Province, China
Shaoze Jing, Shanxi Bethune Hospital, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, 030032, Shanxi Province, China
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