Nociception is the process whereby primary afferent nerve fibers of the somatosensory system detect noxious stimuli. Pungent irritants from pepper, mint, and mustard plants have served as powerful pharmacological tools for identifying molecules and mechanisms underlying this initial step of pain sensation. These natural products have revealed three members of the transient receptor potential (TRP) ion channel family--TRPV1, TRPM8, and TRPA1--as molecular detectors of thermal and chemical stimuli that activate sensory neurons to produce acute or persistent pain. Analysis of TRP channel function and expression has validated the existence of nociceptors as a specialized group of somatosensory neurons devoted to the detection of noxious stimuli. These studies are also providing insight into the coding logic of nociception and how specification of nociceptor subtypes underlies behavioral discrimination of noxious thermal, chemical, and mechanical stimuli. Biophysical and pharmacological characterization of these channels has provided the intellectual and technical foundation for developing new classes of analgesic drugs.

中文翻译：

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TRP 通道和疼痛。

伤害感受是体感系统的初级传入神经纤维检测有害刺激的过程。来自胡椒、薄荷和芥菜植物的刺激性刺激物已作为强大的药理学工具，用于识别疼痛感初始阶段的分子和机制。这些天然产物揭示了瞬时受体电位 (TRP) 离子通道家族的三个成员——TRPV1、TRPM8 和 TRPA1——作为热和化学刺激的分子探测器，激活感觉神经元产生急性或持续性疼痛。TRP 通道功能和表达的分析验证了伤害感受器作为专门用于检测有害刺激的体感神经元组的存在。这些研究还深入了解了伤害感受的编码逻辑，以及伤害感受器亚型的规范如何成为对有害热、化学和机械刺激的行为歧视的基础。这些通道的生物物理和药理学表征为开发新型镇痛药物提供了知识和技术基础。