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Molecular Pain
Published in: Molecular Pain 1/2015

Open Access 01-12-2015 | Review

mTOR, a new potential target for chronic pain and opioid-induced tolerance and hyperalgesia

Authors: Brianna Marie Lutz, Sam Nia, Ming Xiong, Yuan-Xiang Tao, Alex Bekker

Published in: Molecular Pain | Issue 1/2015

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Abstract

Chronic pain is a major public health problem with limited treatment options. Opioids remain a routine treatment for chronic pain, but extended exposure to opioid therapy can produce opioid tolerance and hyperalgesia. Although the mechanisms underlying chronic pain, opioid-induced tolerance, and opioid-induced hyperalgesia remain to be uncovered, mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) is involved in these disorders. The mTOR complex 1 and its triggered protein translation are required for the initiation and maintenance of chronic pain (including cancer pain) and opioid-induced tolerance/hyperalgesia. Given that mTOR inhibitors are FDA-approved drugs and an mTOR inhibitor is approved for the treatment of several cancers, these findings suggest that mTOR inhibitors will likely have multiple clinical benefits, including anticancer, antinociception/anti-cancer pain, and antitolerance/hyperalgesia. This paper compares the role of mTOR complex 1 in chronic pain, opioid-induced tolerance, and opioid-induced hyperalgesia.
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Metadata
Title
mTOR, a new potential target for chronic pain and opioid-induced tolerance and hyperalgesia
Authors
Brianna Marie Lutz
Sam Nia
Ming Xiong
Yuan-Xiang Tao
Alex Bekker
Publication date
01-12-2015
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
Molecular Pain / Issue 1/2015
Electronic ISSN: 1744-8069
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12990-015-0030-5

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