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Quesada C, Kostenko A, Ho I, Leone C, Nochi Z, Stouffs A, Wittayer M, Caspani O, Brix Finnerup N, Mouraux A, Pickering G, Tracey I, Truini A, Treede RD, Garcia-Larrea L. Human surrogate models of central sensitization: A critical review and practical guide. Eur J Pain 2021; 25:1389-1428. [PMID: 33759294 PMCID: PMC8360051 DOI: 10.1002/ejp.1768] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2020] [Revised: 03/17/2021] [Accepted: 03/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Background As in other fields of medicine, development of new medications for management of neuropathic pain has been difficult since preclinical rodent models do not necessarily translate to the clinics. Aside from ongoing pain with burning or shock‐like qualities, neuropathic pain is often characterized by pain hypersensitivity (hyperalgesia and allodynia), most often towards mechanical stimuli, reflecting sensitization of neural transmission. Data treatment We therefore performed a systematic literature review (PubMed‐Medline, Cochrane, WoS, ClinicalTrials) and semi‐quantitative meta‐analysis of human pain models that aim to induce central sensitization, and generate hyperalgesia surrounding a real or simulated injury. Results From an initial set of 1569 reports, we identified and analysed 269 studies using more than a dozen human models of sensitization. Five of these models (intradermal or topical capsaicin, low‐ or high‐frequency electrical stimulation, thermode‐induced heat‐injury) were found to reliably induce secondary hyperalgesia to pinprick and have been implemented in multiple laboratories. The ability of these models to induce dynamic mechanical allodynia was however substantially lower. The proportion of subjects who developed hypersensitivity was rarely provided, giving rise to significant reporting bias. In four of these models pharmacological profiles allowed to verify similarity to some clinical conditions, and therefore may inform basic research for new drug development. Conclusions While there is no single “optimal” model of central sensitization, the range of validated and easy‐to‐use procedures in humans should be able to inform preclinical researchers on helpful potential biomarkers, thereby narrowing the translation gap between basic and clinical data. Significance Being able to mimic aspects of pathological pain directly in humans has a huge potential to understand pathophysiology and provide animal research with translatable biomarkers for drug development. One group of human surrogate models has proven to have excellent predictive validity: they respond to clinically active medications and do not respond to clinically inactive medications, including some that worked in animals but failed in the clinics. They should therefore inform basic research for new drug development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charles Quesada
- NeuroPain lab, Lyon Centre for Neuroscience Inserm U1028, Lyon, France.,Pain Center Neurological Hospital (CETD), Hospices Civils de Lyon, Lyon, France
| | - Anna Kostenko
- Department of Neurophysiology, Mannheim center for Translational Neurosciences, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Idy Ho
- Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Caterina Leone
- Department of Human Neuroscience, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy
| | - Zahra Nochi
- Danish Pain Research Center, Dept of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Alexandre Stouffs
- Institute of Neuroscience (IoNS), Université Catholique de Louvain (UCLouvain), Ottignies-Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
| | - Matthias Wittayer
- Department of Neurophysiology, Mannheim center for Translational Neurosciences, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Ombretta Caspani
- Department of Neurophysiology, Mannheim center for Translational Neurosciences, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Nanna Brix Finnerup
- Danish Pain Research Center, Dept of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - André Mouraux
- Institute of Neuroscience (IoNS), Université Catholique de Louvain (UCLouvain), Ottignies-Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
| | | | - Irene Tracey
- Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Andrea Truini
- Department of Human Neuroscience, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy
| | - Rolf-Detlef Treede
- Department of Neurophysiology, Mannheim center for Translational Neurosciences, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Luis Garcia-Larrea
- NeuroPain lab, Lyon Centre for Neuroscience Inserm U1028, Lyon, France.,Pain Center Neurological Hospital (CETD), Hospices Civils de Lyon, Lyon, France
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