HEALTH – A modified form of Botox relieves chronic pain, according to the study

A modified form of botulinum toxin, popularly known as Botox, provides relief from chronic pain without adverse effects, according to a study published yesterday in the journal Science Translational Medicine.

Researchers at University College London (UCL) deconstructed the botulinum molecule and reassembled it with an opioid type, which resulted in a compound that silenced the signals of pain in the spinal cord of mice.

"Injected into the spine, it relieves chronic pain, such as that caused by nerve damage, and avoids the adverse events of tolerance and dependence often associated with the repeated use of opioid drugs," says Dr. Lead author Steve Hunt of UCL.

the researcher, this new mix does not affect muscles like botulinum toxin used to reduce wrinkles, but it blocks nerve pain up to four months

Hunt felt that this product " could revolutionize the way chronic pain is treated "when it is transferred to the clinic, as this would eliminate the need for a daily intake of opioids.

Chronic pain of "moderate to severe" intensity is widespread and affects 7.8 million people in the UK and 19% of European adults.

Opioids such as morphine and fentanyl are considered the usual mechanism for pain relief, but there is little evidence that its use is effective in the long-term in the treatment of chronic pain.

This is because the body develops over time a tolerance for the repeated use of these drugs.

Another point against the use of opioids is that they can activate the areas of the brain that cause addiction. More than 2 million people in the United States, for example, have an opioid consumption disorder.

In an attempt to solve this problem, the Hunt-led team developed a molecular system for the creation of long-acting painkillers.

Over a five-year period, they used 200 mice to simulate the early stages of neuropathic and inflammatory pain in humans and were treated with a single injection of the mixture, another modification of the botulinum molecule .

The behavior of mice was monitored to track their response to pain and localizations and binding properties of botulinum compounds were studied.

"We were impressed to see that a small injection of the mixture developed was enough to stop the chronic pain caused by inflammation for at least a month," said Maria Maiarù, another of the researchers of the UCL team.