Publisher's Synopsis
This volume follows the aims of "Neuroscience Perspectives" in covering the historical, physiological, biochemical and pharmacological aspects of its chosen topic, together with a discussion of future therapeutic potential.;Capsaicin is the pungent ingredient of the "capsicum" pepper family which causes the "burning" sensation. It has attracted much attention as a tool to study the physiology of sensory neurons in evoking the pain sensation.;As well as its "painful" effects, capsaicin can have a contradictory anti-inflammatory, analgesic effect. This has led to much work on the potential of capsaicin-like substances as pain-relieving drugs.;This volume addresses the possibility that capsaicin may mimic an endogenous mediator, in the same way that the recently-discovered opioid peptides play a part in the endogenous modulation of responses to noxious stimulation. Much less is known about the action of capsaicin than of morphine, but the discovery of the extremely strong capsaicin analogue resiniferatoxin should help to solve the problems hindering further progress.;The coverage includes recent studies on the membrane effects of capsaicin and reiniferatoxin, the distribution of capsaicin-sensitive neurons and the physiological responses of such cells to high-dose capsaicin-induced damage. An important aspect of the book is the definition of the different functions of sensory neurons that capsaicin has facilitated.;The book should act as a useful starting-point in the study of the mechanistic basis of capsaicin action and the potential for clinical advances in pain therapy.
