Journal of PainPub Date : 2025-08-01DOI: 10.1016/j.jpain.2025.105431
Zhaochen Zhu , Tim Schouten , Rob Strijkers , Bart Koes , Heike Gerger , Alessandro Chiarotto
{"title":"Effectiveness of non-surgical interventions for patients with chronic sciatica: A systematic review with network meta-analysis","authors":"Zhaochen Zhu , Tim Schouten , Rob Strijkers , Bart Koes , Heike Gerger , Alessandro Chiarotto","doi":"10.1016/j.jpain.2025.105431","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jpain.2025.105431","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The objective of the study was to investigate the comparative effectiveness of non-surgical interventions for adults with chronic sciatica. EMBASE, MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, and CINAHL were searched until 7th June 2024 for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of non-surgical interventions in adults (aged 18 or older) with chronic sciatica (3 months or longer). Primary outcomes were leg pain intensity and physical function at short-, medium-, and long-term follow-up. Two reviewers independently conducted the screening process, data extraction, and risk of bias assessment (with the Cochrane risk of bias 2.0 tool). Frequentist random effects network meta-analysis was conducted, and evidence confidence was evaluated with the CINEMA method. Fifty RCTs (4920 participants) were included. At short-term, spinal manipulative therapy (mean difference [MD] − 61.01, 95 % CI − 94.64 to − 27.39), exercise + neural mobilization (MD − 60.01, − 93.08 to − 26.95), and soft tissue anesthetic injections (MD − 60.01, − 99.08 to − 20.95) showed the largest reductions in leg pain intensity versus placebo (all based on very low confidence evidence). Epidural magnesium injections improved physical function at short-term (MD − 40.45, − 54.00 to − 26.89; very low confidence). Long-term reductions in physical function occurred with epidural steroid + ketamine injections (MD −15.51, − 21.50 to − 9.52) and epidural injections + physical therapy (MD − 12.01, − 17.27 to − 6.75; very low confidence). In summary, the evidence is very uncertain regarding the effectiveness of non-surgical interventions in patients with chronic sciatica. Future RCTs should minimize bias and include larger sample sizes to improve the confidence on the evidence base for chronic sciatica.</div></div><div><h3>Protocol registration</h3><div>PROSPERO (CRD42022361572).</div></div><div><h3>Perspective</h3><div>Currently, no high-quality evidence confirms the superior effectiveness of any non-surgical intervention for patients with chronic sciatica. While some treatments may provide short-term leg pain relief, the very low confidence of the evidence highlights the need for rigorous and large-scale trials to better guide clinical decision-making.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51095,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Pain","volume":"33 ","pages":"Article 105431"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144081871","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Journal of PainPub Date : 2025-08-01DOI: 10.1016/j.jpain.2025.105435
Brian W. Pulling PhD , Felicity A. Braithwaite PhD , Adela-Maria Isvoranu PhD , David S. Butler EdD , Anna R. Vogelzang BClinExPhys , G. Lorimer Moseley PhD , Mark J. Catley PhD , Tasha R. Stanton PhD
{"title":"Scale development of the Osteoarthritis Conceptualisation Questionnaire: Phase 2 construct validity","authors":"Brian W. Pulling PhD , Felicity A. Braithwaite PhD , Adela-Maria Isvoranu PhD , David S. Butler EdD , Anna R. Vogelzang BClinExPhys , G. Lorimer Moseley PhD , Mark J. Catley PhD , Tasha R. Stanton PhD","doi":"10.1016/j.jpain.2025.105435","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jpain.2025.105435","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>An individual's knowledge, beliefs and/or expectations about their osteoarthritis<span><span><span> can influence their engagement with physical activity and their treatment decisions surrounding recommended non-surgical management. Yet there is no widely accepted questionnaire to assess complex mental frameworks surrounding </span>osteoarthritis<span>. Therefore, this study aimed to develop an Osteoarthritis Conceptualisation Questionnaire (OACQ) to assess an individual’s conceptual framework for osteoarthritis via </span></span>psychometric<span><span> evaluation of an established item-bank. The OACQ item-bank, co-developed with pain experts and people with lived experience of knee pain, was administered online to people with painful </span>knee osteoarthritis<span><span>. Psychometric evaluation was undertaken using factor and exploratory graph analyses to create a data-driven model of the OACQ which was then compared with the existing theoretical model (construct validity). Four hundred and fifty-four participants completed the survey (n=336 female; 64.52 ± 9.21 years). Psychometric evaluation resulted in the OACQ, consisting of 36 items across four domains: ‘Expectations’; ‘Context’; ‘Physiology’; and ‘Conceptual Change’. Data-driven models aligned with theoretical models, providing preliminary evidence of construct validity<span>. The resultant OACQ could be used to assess osteoarthritis conceptualisations in people with painful </span></span>knee osteoarthritis. Further research to evaluate scale and item functioning and test-retest reliability is warranted.</span></span></span></div></div><div><h3>Perspective</h3><div>Classical and innovative psychometric methods were utilised to develop a novel assessment of conceptualisations of osteoarthritis. The combined use of these methods provided a rigorous evaluation of construct validity. The OACQ may be useful for evaluating the effectiveness of pain science education interventions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51095,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Pain","volume":"33 ","pages":"Article 105435"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144129601","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Journal of PainPub Date : 2025-08-01DOI: 10.1016/j.jpain.2025.105415
Mark D. Sullivan MD, PhD , Amanda C. de C. Williams PhD
{"title":"Social determinants and consequences of pain: Accidental or essential?","authors":"Mark D. Sullivan MD, PhD , Amanda C. de C. Williams PhD","doi":"10.1016/j.jpain.2025.105415","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jpain.2025.105415","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":51095,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Pain","volume":"33 ","pages":"Article 105415"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144814062","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Journal of PainPub Date : 2025-08-01DOI: 10.1016/j.jpain.2025.105430
Gina A. Paganini , Adele E. Weaver , Atticus Carroll , Mollie A. Ruben , Vani A. Mathur , E. Paige Lloyd
{"title":"Leveraging insights from the psychological science of gender stereotyping to advance scholarship on gender-diverse individuals' pain experiences","authors":"Gina A. Paganini , Adele E. Weaver , Atticus Carroll , Mollie A. Ruben , Vani A. Mathur , E. Paige Lloyd","doi":"10.1016/j.jpain.2025.105430","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jpain.2025.105430","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>There is evidence of gender disparities in pain experience and pain care as well as the role of stereotypes in perpetuating discriminatory care, however most of this work focuses on comparisons between cisgender men and women; little is known about gender-diverse individuals’ pain experiences and outcomes. We consider the value of extending existing cisgender-focused frameworks to understand how the application of gender stereotypes in clinical care contribute to pain care disparities and perpetuate bias, stigma, and discrimination experienced by gender-diverse people. First, we review the literature on stereotype content and stereotype application processes that are theorized to contribute to gender discrimination in pain treatment. We then leverage this extant framework to conduct a novel empirical investigation into the culturally endorsed pain-relevant stereotypes (i.e., trustworthiness, competence, mental illness, and emotional dramatization) of transgender men, transgender women, and nonbinary individuals (as well as cisgender men and cisgender women for replication and comparison purposes). We find that a sample of U.S. adult participants (<em>N</em> = 221) consistently endorsed more negative cultural stereotypes relevant to pain for gender-diverse than cisgender individuals illustrating how stereotype application may undermine high quality and equitable pain treatment of gender-diverse individuals. Based on our findings, we illustrate how this stereotype application may manifest in clinical contexts. Finally, we integrate existing social psychological theorizing to identify opportunities to decrease the impact of stereotypes in the clinical pain encounters.</div></div><div><h3>Perspective</h3><div>Gender-diverse individuals experience pain care disparities, which are in part attributable to cultural stereotypes. Building upon stereotyping theory and research from social psychology, we show that pain-relevant negative stereotypes are applied to gender-diverse individuals and highlight opportunities to interrupt stereotype application in clinical interactions to improve health equity.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51095,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Pain","volume":"33 ","pages":"Article 105430"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144086975","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Journal of PainPub Date : 2025-08-01DOI: 10.1016/j.jpain.2025.105459
Flavia P. Kapos , Kenneth D. Craig , Steven R. Anderson , Sónia F. Bernardes , Adam T. Hirsh , Kai Karos , Edmund Keogh , Elizabeth A. Reynolds Losin , Joanna L. McParland , David J. Moore , Claire E. Ashton-James
{"title":"Response to Sullivan and Williams regarding “Social determinants and consequences of pain: Toward multilevel, intersectional, and life course perspectives”","authors":"Flavia P. Kapos , Kenneth D. Craig , Steven R. Anderson , Sónia F. Bernardes , Adam T. Hirsh , Kai Karos , Edmund Keogh , Elizabeth A. Reynolds Losin , Joanna L. McParland , David J. Moore , Claire E. Ashton-James","doi":"10.1016/j.jpain.2025.105459","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jpain.2025.105459","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":51095,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Pain","volume":"33 ","pages":"Article 105459"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144814063","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Journal of PainPub Date : 2025-08-01DOI: 10.1016/j.jpain.2025.105475
Noelani Sobott MProfPsych , Meagan E. Crowther PhD , Grace E. Vincent PhD , Daniel L. Belavý PhD , Paul Buntine MBBS(Hons) MClinRes FACEM , Sally A. Ferguson PhD , Niamh L. Mundell PhD , Madeline Sprajcer PhD , Scott D. Tagliaferri PhD , Jamie L. Tait PhD , Kate Vincent MBBS , Patrick J. Owen PhD
{"title":"Chronic low back pain is associated with compromised cognitive function: A systematic review and meta-analysis","authors":"Noelani Sobott MProfPsych , Meagan E. Crowther PhD , Grace E. Vincent PhD , Daniel L. Belavý PhD , Paul Buntine MBBS(Hons) MClinRes FACEM , Sally A. Ferguson PhD , Niamh L. Mundell PhD , Madeline Sprajcer PhD , Scott D. Tagliaferri PhD , Jamie L. Tait PhD , Kate Vincent MBBS , Patrick J. Owen PhD","doi":"10.1016/j.jpain.2025.105475","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jpain.2025.105475","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>We compared domain-specific cognitive function between adults with chronic low back pain (CLBP) and pain-free controls. PubMed, CINAHL, PsycINFO, EMBASE, and CENTRAL were searched from inception to 21 February 2025. Pairwise random-effects meta-analysis estimated standardised mean difference (Hedges’ g). Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) approach assessed certainty of evidence. JBI Critical Appraisal Checklist for Analytical Cross Sectional Studies assessed risk of bias. Twenty-six studies (participants: 5572) were included. Compared to pain-free controls, adults with CLBP performed worse on tests of executive function (g [95%CI]: 0.50 [0.27, 0.74], P<0.001, GRADE: very low), global cognition (−0.23 [−0.43, −0.04], P=0.018, GRADE: low), memory (−0.65 [−0.90, −0.41], P<0.001, GRADE: very low), motor skills (0.44 [0.25, 0.64], P<0.001, GRADE: very low), and processing speed (0.27 [0.03, 0.51], P=0.027, GRADE: very low), yet not attention (−0.32 [−1.29, 1.68], P=0.363, GRADE: very low), language (−0.57 [−4.27, 3.13], P=0.302, GRADE: very low), and perception (−0.19 [−1.43, 1.05], P=0.584, GRADE: very low). CLBP may be associated with slightly worse global cognition. CLBP may also be associated with worse executive function, memory, motor skills, and processing speed, but the evidence is very uncertain. While there is a lack of evidence regarding causal mechanisms, assessing cognitive function among adults with CLBP appears warranted. Registration: PROSPERO (CRD42022356396).</div></div><div><h3>Perspective</h3><div>This systematic review and meta-analysis compared domain-specific cognitive function between adults with chronic low back pain and pain-free controls. While there is a lack of evidence regarding causal mechanisms, assessing cognitive function among adults with chronic low back pain appears warranted.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51095,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Pain","volume":"33 ","pages":"Article 105475"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144499113","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Journal of PainPub Date : 2025-07-29DOI: 10.1016/j.jpain.2025.105509
Emily J Bartley, Mary R Janevic, Martha O Kenney
{"title":"Emerging approaches to addressing longstanding inequities: Insights from the Journal of Pain special issue on pain disparities.","authors":"Emily J Bartley, Mary R Janevic, Martha O Kenney","doi":"10.1016/j.jpain.2025.105509","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpain.2025.105509","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":51095,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Pain","volume":" ","pages":"105509"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144762239","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Journal of PainPub Date : 2025-07-27DOI: 10.1016/j.jpain.2025.105511
Zi-Xian Zhang , Jin Xi , Xian-Zhen Yin , Ying-Shuang Qiu , Jian-Zhong Guan
{"title":"DNMT3a contributes to bone cancer pain by epigenetic silencing of Kcnq2/Kcnq3 in dorsal root ganglion neurons","authors":"Zi-Xian Zhang , Jin Xi , Xian-Zhen Yin , Ying-Shuang Qiu , Jian-Zhong Guan","doi":"10.1016/j.jpain.2025.105511","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jpain.2025.105511","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Metastatic bone tumors induce transcriptional changes in dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons, which may contribute to bone cancer pain. A key factor in this process is the downregulation of Kv7 (KCNQ)/M channels in DRG neurons, leading to neuronal hyperexcitability and pain hypersensitivity. However, the mechanisms underlying bone cancer-induced Kv7 channels suppression remain poorly understood. DNA methyltransferase (DNMT)-mediated DNA methylation is known to suppress gene expression. In this study, we demonstrate that DNMT3a plays a critical role in the genesis of bone cancer pain, likely through the transcriptional repression of <em>Kcnq2</em> and <em>Kcnq3</em> genes. Furthermore, we identified C/EBPβ as a transcriptional activator of <em>Dnmt3a</em>, whose expression is upregulated in DRG neurons during bone cancer progression. Further studies suggest that VEGFA may be involved as an upstream signaling molecule in DNMT3a-mediated transcriptional repression of <em>Kcnq2</em> and <em>Kcnq3</em>. Activation of the VEGFA/VEGFR2-PI3K-Akt-C/EBPβ signaling pathway correlates with DNMT3a-mediated transcriptional inhibition of <em>Kcnq2/Kcnq3</em> genes in DRG neurons, which may lead to neuronal hyperexcitability and pain hypersensitivity in tumor-bearing rats. Collectively, these findings suggest that VEGFA/VEGFR2-PI3K-Akt-C/EBPβ signaling may represent a critical axis in DNMT3a-dependent epigenetic regulation of Kv7 (KCNQ)/M channels, offering potential therapeutic avenues for bone cancer pain management.</div></div><div><h3>Perspective</h3><div>This study reveals that VEGFA/VEGFR2-PI3K-Akt-C/EBPβ-DNMT3a axis drives bone cancer pain via epigenetic repression of <em>Kcnq2/3</em> in DRG neurons, identifying promising therapeutic targets for cancer pain management.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51095,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Pain","volume":"35 ","pages":"Article 105511"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144738208","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Journal of PainPub Date : 2025-07-26DOI: 10.1016/j.jpain.2025.105512
Mariana Agostinho , Galia Emergui , Rita Canaipa , Roi Treister
{"title":"The prediction of the analgesic placebo effect is moderated by direction of attention: Results from fibromyalgia and healthy controls","authors":"Mariana Agostinho , Galia Emergui , Rita Canaipa , Roi Treister","doi":"10.1016/j.jpain.2025.105512","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jpain.2025.105512","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Despite extensive research, reliable predictors of the placebo response remain elusive. The within-subject variability (WSV) of pain reports has emerged as a potential predictor, with multiple studies confirming its predictive value. But the results have been mixed. We recently showed that direction of attention moderates WSV’s role in predicting the placebo response in patients with chronic back pain. This observational study aims to further examine the relationship between direction of attention, WSV, and the placebo effect in fibromyalgia patients (FM) and healthy controls. Participants completed a demographic questionnaire, clinical pain diaries (for FM), and the revised Self-Consciousness Scale (SCS-R). Afterward, participants underwent two experimental procedures: (1) the Focused Analgesia Selection Test (FAST), assessing experimental WSV of pain reports, and (2) an experimental placebo paradigm. Moderation and regression analyses examined the role of the SCS-R subscales in moderating the prediction of the placebo effect by the WSV of pain reports. Sixty-nine participants (healthy: 37, FM: 32) completed the protocol. Groups did not differ in SCS-R subscales, WSV, or placebo effect magnitude (p≥0.281). At low levels of private self-consciousness (p=0.013) and social anxiety (p=0.017) among FM, clinical WSV played a significant role in predicting the placebo effect. Public self-consciousness for FM showed a similar trend toward significance. These findings underscore attention as a relevant moderator of the placebo effect, emphasizing the need for improved measurement tools to predict the placebo effect.</div></div><div><h3>Perspective</h3><div>We highlight the role of direction of attention in the prediction of the placebo effect. Our current findings validate our previous recent results from a cohort of chronic back pain patients, implying that direction of attention should be used in future attempts to improve the prediction of the placebo effect.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51095,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Pain","volume":"35 ","pages":"Article 105512"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144735115","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Journal of PainPub Date : 2025-07-26DOI: 10.1016/j.jpain.2025.105510
Martial Caillaud , Yogesh Rakholia , Lauren Soleo , Bryan D. Mckiver , Wisam Toma , Michael D. Burton , Nolan A. Wages , Priyam Das , M. Imad Damaj
{"title":"Paclitaxel-induced neuroinflammation after systemic administration in male and female mice","authors":"Martial Caillaud , Yogesh Rakholia , Lauren Soleo , Bryan D. Mckiver , Wisam Toma , Michael D. Burton , Nolan A. Wages , Priyam Das , M. Imad Damaj","doi":"10.1016/j.jpain.2025.105510","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jpain.2025.105510","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Peripheral neuropathy is one of the most prevalent neurotoxic, dose-limiting side effects of paclitaxel, a chemotherapy agent used widely in solid cancers. The mechanism of paclitaxel-induced peripheral neuropathy (PIPN) is poorly understood, and thus there are no approved treatments currently. Notably, neuroinflammation has been described as a cardinal component in the pathogenesis of PIPN. However, animal studies of PIPN assessing neuroinflammation mediators have mostly focused on gene expression, not protein, and usually in one neuronal tissue and/or at one time point in male mice. Thus, characterization of inflammation mediators at different timepoints, in both sexes, and in different neuronal tissues is critical to understanding PIPN. Paclitaxel (8 mg/kg, i.p.) or vehicle was administered every other day for a total of four injections in male and female C57BL/6J mice. Mechanical and cold sensitivity, nerve conductance, and 22 cytokines and chemokines levels in the dorsal root ganglia (DRG) and spinal cord (SC) were measured at different time points (7, 14, and 21 days) post injections in both sexes. Paclitaxel induced mechanical and cold hypersensitivity and decreased nerve conduction amplitude similarly in both male and female mice. Multiplex cytokine analysis revealed that paclitaxel-induced increase in neuroinflammation is time-, sex-, and tissue- dependent. Our findings provide novel contribution to current knowledge about neuroinflammation as an important mechanism in PIPN. In addition, the results could explain potential mechanistic sex differences in immune pain signaling that can guide precision medicine in the future.</div></div><div><h3>Perspective</h3><div>Our study demonstrated that the chemodrug paclitaxel induces nociceptive and physiological changes similarly in male and female mice. However, paclitaxel-induced increase in neuroinflammation is time-, sex-, and tissue- dependent. These findings could pave the way for more effective and personalized management of CIPN.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51095,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Pain","volume":"35 ","pages":"Article 105510"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144735114","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}