Chemokine mediated neuron-glia communication and aberrant signalling in neuropathic pain states.

Treatment of neuropathic pain is problematic; response to current pharmacological interventions is often poor and associated with undesirable side-effects, thus the identification of new targets for treating this condition is needed. Here we collect evidence demonstrating the potential of chemokines as mediators of neuron-glia communication and contributors to pain signalling. The expression of chemokines such as CX3CL1, CCL2 and CCL21 and their receptors CX3CR1, CCR2 and CXCR3 is altered in the spinal cord under neuropathic pain conditions and chemokine receptor antagonists attenuate neuropathic pain behaviour. By understanding the mechanisms of chemokine-mediated communication we may expose glial targets as a novel approach for the treatment of neuropathic pain.