Research progress on the relationship between inflammation and neuropathic pain

Neuropathic pain (NP) is pain triggered or caused by primary damage and dysfunction of the nervous system. It belongs to a kind of chronic pain, which is manifested as spontaneous pain, hyperalgesia, abnormal pain, paresthesia and other clinical characteristics. Because the pathogenesis is not clear, the therapeutic effect is not satisfactory. After nerve injury, the glial cells in the injured site and dorsal root ganglia (DRG) release various inflammatory mediators to participate in the regulation of the transmission of damaging information. The inflammatory process of neuropathic pain may be accomplished through some signaling pathways. This article reviews the current research on the relationship between inflammation and neuropathic pain. Key words: Inflammation; Inflammatory mediators; Neuropathic pain; Signal transduction; Review