South Middlesex Times

Rutgers researchers have discovered a new method to manage receptors that control the sense of touch, potentially leading to more effective treatments for chronic pain.

“Identifying a natural molecule that specifically reduces pain sensitivity offers hope for new therapeutic strategies in the management of pain,” said Tibor Rohacs, a professor in the Department of Pharmacology, Physiology and Neuroscience at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School and a member of the Rutgers Brain Health Institute. “Our goal is to translate these findings into effective treatments that improve the quality of life for people suffering from chronic pain.”

The study was authored by Matthew Gabrielle, a doctoral student in Rohacs' laboratory at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School.

According to research published in Nature Communications, a natural molecule called phosphatidic acid can reduce the activity of certain touch-sensing ion channels in the body. Researchers found that increasing levels of phosphatidic acid in cells makes them less sensitive to touch. This was confirmed through experiments on sensory neurons and tests in mice, where animals became more sensitive to touch when the formation of phosphatidic acid was inhibited.

“This finding adds to a growing body of evidence suggesting that lipids are key regulators of somatosensation,” said Gabrielle, referring to the body’s ability to perceive sensations such as touch, temperature, and pain. “By targeting the natural pathways that regulate these channels, we can develop more targeted and effective pain treatments that could be especially useful for conditions involving inflammatory pain, where current pain relief options are often inadequate.”