Nanotechnology in Pain Management

Chronic pain is a debilitating condition that affects millions of patients worldwide, contributing to a high disease burden and millions of dollars in lost wages, missed workdays, and healthcare costs. Opioids, NSAIDs, acetaminophen, gabapentinoids, muscle relaxants, anticonvulsants, and antidepress...

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Main Authors: Andrew Torpey, Emily Bellow, Veronica Samojedny, Sukhpreet Ahluwalia, Amruta Desai, William Caldwell, Sergio Bergese
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024-11-01
Series:Pharmaceutics
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4923/16/11/1479
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author Andrew Torpey
Emily Bellow
Veronica Samojedny
Sukhpreet Ahluwalia
Amruta Desai
William Caldwell
Sergio Bergese
author_facet Andrew Torpey
Emily Bellow
Veronica Samojedny
Sukhpreet Ahluwalia
Amruta Desai
William Caldwell
Sergio Bergese
author_sort Andrew Torpey
collection DOAJ
description Chronic pain is a debilitating condition that affects millions of patients worldwide, contributing to a high disease burden and millions of dollars in lost wages, missed workdays, and healthcare costs. Opioids, NSAIDs, acetaminophen, gabapentinoids, muscle relaxants, anticonvulsants, and antidepressants are the most used medications for chronic pain and carry significant side effects, including gastric bleeding, hepatotoxicity, stroke, kidney damage, constipation, dizziness, and arrhythmias. Opioids in particular carry the risk of long-term dependence, drug tolerance, and overdose. In 2022, 81,806 people died from opioid overdose in the United States alone. Alternative treatments for chronic pain are critically needed, and nanotechnology has emerged as a promising means of achieving effective long-term analgesia while avoiding the adverse side effects associated with conventional pharmacological agents. Nanotechnology-based treatments include liposomes, Poly Lactic-co-Glycolic Acid (PLGA) and other polymeric nanoparticles, and carbon-based polymers, which can help mitigate those adverse side effects. These nanomaterials can serve as drug delivery systems that facilitate controlled release and drug stability via the encapsulation of free molecules and protein-based drugs, leading to longer-lasting analgesia and minimizing side effects. In this review, we examine the role of nanotechnology in addressing concerns associated with conventional chronic pain treatments and discuss the ongoing efforts to develop novel, nanotechnology-based treatments for chronic pain such as nanocapacitor patches, gene therapy, the use of both viral and non-viral vectors, CRISPR, and scavengers.
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spelling doaj-art-64cff741f5a74d2b95a5b862063bf5312024-11-26T18:18:09ZengMDPI AGPharmaceutics1999-49232024-11-011611147910.3390/pharmaceutics16111479Nanotechnology in Pain ManagementAndrew Torpey0Emily Bellow1Veronica Samojedny2Sukhpreet Ahluwalia3Amruta Desai4William Caldwell5Sergio Bergese6Department of Anesthesiology, Stony Brook University Hospital, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USARenaissance School of Medicine, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USARenaissance School of Medicine, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USADepartment of Surgery, Stony Brook University Hospital, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USADepartment of Anesthesiology, Stony Brook University Hospital, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USADepartment of Anesthesiology, Stony Brook University Hospital, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USADepartment of Anesthesiology, Stony Brook University Hospital, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USAChronic pain is a debilitating condition that affects millions of patients worldwide, contributing to a high disease burden and millions of dollars in lost wages, missed workdays, and healthcare costs. Opioids, NSAIDs, acetaminophen, gabapentinoids, muscle relaxants, anticonvulsants, and antidepressants are the most used medications for chronic pain and carry significant side effects, including gastric bleeding, hepatotoxicity, stroke, kidney damage, constipation, dizziness, and arrhythmias. Opioids in particular carry the risk of long-term dependence, drug tolerance, and overdose. In 2022, 81,806 people died from opioid overdose in the United States alone. Alternative treatments for chronic pain are critically needed, and nanotechnology has emerged as a promising means of achieving effective long-term analgesia while avoiding the adverse side effects associated with conventional pharmacological agents. Nanotechnology-based treatments include liposomes, Poly Lactic-co-Glycolic Acid (PLGA) and other polymeric nanoparticles, and carbon-based polymers, which can help mitigate those adverse side effects. These nanomaterials can serve as drug delivery systems that facilitate controlled release and drug stability via the encapsulation of free molecules and protein-based drugs, leading to longer-lasting analgesia and minimizing side effects. In this review, we examine the role of nanotechnology in addressing concerns associated with conventional chronic pain treatments and discuss the ongoing efforts to develop novel, nanotechnology-based treatments for chronic pain such as nanocapacitor patches, gene therapy, the use of both viral and non-viral vectors, CRISPR, and scavengers.https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4923/16/11/1479nanotechnologychronic paininflammationdrug deliverynanomaterials
spellingShingle Andrew Torpey
Emily Bellow
Veronica Samojedny
Sukhpreet Ahluwalia
Amruta Desai
William Caldwell
Sergio Bergese
Nanotechnology in Pain Management
Pharmaceutics
nanotechnology
chronic pain
inflammation
drug delivery
nanomaterials
title Nanotechnology in Pain Management
title_full Nanotechnology in Pain Management
title_fullStr Nanotechnology in Pain Management
title_full_unstemmed Nanotechnology in Pain Management
title_short Nanotechnology in Pain Management
title_sort nanotechnology in pain management
topic nanotechnology
chronic pain
inflammation
drug delivery
nanomaterials
url https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4923/16/11/1479
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