Better opiate analgesia with TRPV1

Pain Patients often become desensitized to opiates and then require greater doses, which increases the risk of addiction. Inflammation, which is common with painful injuries, enhances the analgesic efficacy of opioids. Basso et al. found that inflammation-induced activation of the ion channel TRPV1 promoted opioid sensitivity and analgesia in mice by preventing the desensitization of µ-opioid receptors. This cross-talk between pathways may explain the analgesic effect of inflammation in patients taking opioids and might be useful for avoiding opiate dose escalation. Sci. Signal. 12 , eaav0711 (2019).