Fig. 1.
Potential therapeutic targets for the treatment of pain. Primary sensory neurons transmit electrical impulses that encode specific sensory information to the spinal cord, subsequently projection neurons in the dorsal horn convey pain information to the brain. Given the complicated mechanisms of pain processing, it might be reasonable to discover novel analgesic targets based on preclinical studies. At the same time, it is also very important to conduct preclinical studies that replicate human pain conditions. CB1R; cannabinoid 1 receptor, CB2R; cannabinoid 2 receptor, MOP; μ- opioid peptide, Nav; voltage-gated sodium channel, NGF; nerve growth factor, N/OFQ; nociceptin/orphanin FQ, NOP; nociceptin/orphanin FQ peptide, STING; stimulator of interferon genes, TrkA; tyrosine kinase A.