Purinergic receptor P2Y<sub>12</sub> (P2Y<sub>12</sub> ), a G protein-coupled purinergic receptor, is widely distributed in nervous system and involved in the progression of neurological diseases such as multiple sclerosis and neuropathic pain.
The present study demonstrated that dexmedetomidine attenuates the neuropathic pain induced by CCI of the sciatic nerve in rats by inhibiting spinal P2X7R expression and ERK phosphorylation, indicating the potential therapeutic implications of dexmedetomidine administration for the treatment of neuropathic pain.
We based this hypothesis on evidence that microglia preferentially contribute to neuropathic pain in male mice via ionotropic purinergic receptor (P2XR) or p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38) signaling.