Skip to main content
Key Specialties
Cardiology Diabetology Endocrinology Gastroenterology Geriatrics and Gerontology Gynecology and Obstetrics Hematology Infectious Disease Internal Medicine Nephrology Neurology Oncology Pediatrics Respiratory Medicine Rheumatology Surgery
Congress Coverage
2024 ACC Congress 2023 ESMO Congress 2023 EASD Congress 2023 ERS Congress 2023 ESC Congress
Clinical Collections
Advances in Alzheimer’s

At a glance: The STEP trials

A round-up of the STEP phase 3 clinical trials evaluating semaglutide for weight loss in people with overweight or obesity.
ADVANCED SEARCH
Log in
Top
Current Pain and Headache Reports
Published in: Current Pain and Headache Reports 4/2024

12-02-2024 | Respiratory Microbiota | Chronic Pain Medicine (O Viswanath, Section Editor)

The Gut Microbiota and Chronic Pain

Authors: Ray Pak, Michelle Cho, Keth Pride, Alaa Abd-Elsayed

Published in: Current Pain and Headache Reports | Issue 4/2024

Login to get access

Abstract

Purpose of Review

To examine the effects and interactions between gut microbia and chronic pain.

Recent Findings

The gut microbiome has been an area of interest in both the scientific and general audience due to a growing body of evidence suggesting its influence in a variety of health and disease states. Communication between the central nervous system (CNS) and gut microbiome is said to be bidirectional, in what is referred to as the gut-brain axis.

Summary

Chronic pain is a prevalent costly personal and public health burden and so, there is a vested interest in devising safe and efficacious treatments. Numerous studies, many of which are animal studies, have been conducted to examine the gut microbiome’s role in the pathophysiology of chronic pain states, such as neuropathy, inflammation, visceral pain, etc. As the understanding of this relationship grows, so does the potential for therapeutic targeting of the gut microbiome in chronic pain.
Literature
1.
2.
3.
Appleton J. The gut-brain axis: influence of microbiota on mood and mental health. Integr Med (Encinitas). 2018;17(4):28–32. PMID: 31043907; PMCID: PMC6469458.PubMed
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Institute of Medicine (US) Committee on Pain, Disability, and Chronic Illness Behavior, Osterweis M, Kleinman A, Mechanic D. Pain and disability: clinical, behavioral, and public policy perspectives. Washington DC: National Academies Press US; 1987. p. 7. Available from https://​www.​ncbi.​nlm.​nih.​gov/​books/​NBK219252/​.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
Janssens Y, Wynendaele E, Verbeke F, Debunne N, Gevaert B, Audenaert K, De Spiegeleer B, et al. Screening of quorum sensing peptides for biological effects in neuronal cells. Peptides. 2018;101:150–6.CrossRefPubMed
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
Mayer EA, Raybould HE. Role of visceral afferent mechanisms in functional bowel disorders. Gastroenterology. 1990;99:1688–704.CrossRefPubMed
24.
•• Chiu IM, Heesters BA, Ghasemlou N, Von Hehn CA, Zhao F, Tran J, et al. Bacteria activate sensory neurons that modulate pain and inflammation. Nature. 2013;501:52–7. Good article providing understanding of the topic.ADSCrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
Coyle DE. Partial peripheral nerve injury leads to activation of astroglia and microglia which parallels the development of allodynic behavior. Glia. 1998;23(1):75–83 PMID: 9562186.CrossRefPubMed
31.
32.
33.
34.
35.
Watkins LR, Milligan ED, Maier SF. Glial proinflammatory cytokines mediate exaggerated pain states: implications for clinical pain. Adv Exp Med Biol. 2003;521:1–21 PMID: 12617561.PubMed
36.
37.
38.
39.
40.
41.
42.
43.
44.
45.
46.
Moloney RD, Johnson AC, O’Mahony SM, Dinan TG, Greenwood-Van Meerveld B, Cryan JF. Stress and the microbiota-gut-brain axis in visceral pain: relevance to irritable bowel syndrome. CNS Neurosci Ther. 2016;22(2):102–17. https://​doi.​org/​10.​1111/​cns.​12490. Epub 2015 Dec 10. PMID: 26662472; PMCID: PMC6492884.CrossRefPubMed
47.
48.
49.
50.
51.
Si JM, Yu YC, Fan YJ, Chen SJ. Intestinal microecology and quality of life in irritable bowel syndrome patients. World J Gastroenterol. 2004 Jun 15;10(12):1802–5.
52.
Rajilić-Stojanović M, Biagi E, Heilig HG, Kajander K, Kekkonen RA, Tims S, de Vos WM. Global and deep molecular analysis of microbiota signatures in fecal samples from patients with irritable bowel syndrome. Gastroenterology. 2011;141:1792–801.
53.
54.
55.
56.
57.
58.
59.
60.
61.
62.
63.
Urita Y, Goto M, Watanabe T, Matsuzaki M, Gomi A, Kano M, et al. Continuous consumption of fermented milk containing Bifidobacterium bifidum YIT 10347 improves gastrointestinal and psychological symptoms in patients with functional gastrointestinal disorders. Biosci Microbiota Food Health. 2015;34(2):37–44. https://​doi.​org/​10.​12938/​bmfh.​2014-017. Epub 2015 Jan 21. PMID: 25918671; PMCID: PMC4405396.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
64.
65.
66.
67.
68.
69.
70.
71.
72.
73.
74.
75.
76.
Liebregts T, Adam B, Bertel A, Jones S, Schulze J. Effect of E. coli Nissle, 1917 on post-inflammatory visceral sensory function in a rat model. Neurogastroenterol Motility. 2005;17:410–4.CrossRef
77.
Kannampalli P, Pochiraju S, Chichlowski M, Berg BM, Rudolph C. Probiotic Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG) and prebiotic prevent neonatal inflammation-induced visceral hypersensitivity in adult rats. Neurogastroenterol Motil. 2014;26:1694–704.CrossRefPubMed
78.
Johnson AC, Greenwood-Van Meerveld B, McRorie J. Effects of Bifidobacterium infantis 35624 on post-inflammatory visceral hypersensitivity in the rat. Dig Dis Sci. 2011;56:3179–86.CrossRefPubMed
79.
Martami F, Togha M, Seifishahpar M, Ghorbani Z, Ansari H, Karimi T, et al. The effects of a multispecies probiotic supplement on inflammatory markers and episodic and chronic migraine characteristics: a randomized double-blind controlled trial. Cephalalgia. 2019;39(7):841–53. https://​doi.​org/​10.​1177/​0333102418820102​. Epub 2019 Jan 8. PMID: 30621517.CrossRefPubMed
80.
81.
82.
83.
84.
85.
86.
87.
88.
89.
90.
91.
92.
93.
94.
95.
96.
97.
98.
99.
100.
101.
102.
103.
104.
105.
Singh GK, Kim IE, Girmay M, Perry C, Daus GP, Vedamuthu IP, et al. Opioid epidemic in the United States: empirical trends, and a literature review of social determinants and epidemiological, pain management, and treatment patterns. Int J Mch Aids. 2019;8(2):89–100. https://​doi.​org/​10.​21106/​ijma.​284. Epub 2019 Aug 8. PMID: 31723479; PMCID: PMC6804319.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
106.
107.
108.
Metadata
Title
The Gut Microbiota and Chronic Pain
Authors
Ray Pak
Michelle Cho
Keth Pride
Alaa Abd-Elsayed
Publication date
12-02-2024
Publisher
Springer US
Published in
Current Pain and Headache Reports / Issue 4/2024
Print ISSN: 1531-3433
Electronic ISSN: 1534-3081
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11916-024-01221-x

Other articles of this Issue 4/2024

Current Pain and Headache Reports 4/2024 Go to the issue

Chronic Pain Medicine (O Viswanath, Section Editor)

The Diagnostic Value of Carnett’s Test with Chronic Abdominal Pain: A Narrative Review

Uncommon and/or Unusual Headaches and Syndromes (F Cohen, Section Editor)

Managing trigeminal postherpetic neuralgia

Non-pharmacologic Aspects of Pain, Migraine, and Headache (D Buse, Section Editor)

A Role for Visual Art Therapy in the Management of Migraine

Hot Topics in Pain and Headache (N Rosen, Section Editor)

Does weather trigger migraine?

Non-pharmacologic Aspects of Pain, Migraine, and Headache (D Buse, Section Editor)

Complementary and Integrative Medicine for the Treatment of Trigeminal Neuralgia and Trigeminal Autonomic Cephalalgia

Concussion and Head Injury (A Kaye, Section Editor)

Treatment Options for Posttraumatic Headache: A Current Review of the Literature