Impact of inflammation and Treg cell regulation on neuropathic pain in spinal cord injury: mechanisms and therapeutic prospects

Spinal cord injury can lead to neuropathic pain, which is made worse by excessive inflammation. Regulatory T cells (Treg cells) help control inflammation and reduce this pain. Treg cells work by releasing substances that suppress inflammation and by influencing other immune cells. However, inflammation itself can hinder Treg cell activity, increasing neuropathic pain. The review explores how Treg cells regulate neuropathic pain after spinal cord injury, aiming to identify new therapeutic approaches involving cell therapy.

• 1
  Inflammation following spinal cord injury involves the release of mediators like cytokines and chemokines, which stimulate sensory neurons and increase neuronal excitability, leading to pain perception.
• 2
  Infiltration of immune cells such as monocytes, macrophages, T cells, and B cells at the site of spinal cord injury contributes to increased neuronal excitability and enhanced pain transmission.
• 3
  Treg cells modulate neuroimmune interactions, reducing neuronal hyperexcitability and abnormal alterations in synaptic plasticity, thereby diminishing neuropathic pain.