The previous decade has seen a rapid increase in microglial studies on pain, with a unique
focus on microgliosis in the spinal cord after nerve injury and neuropathic pain. Numerous …

Opioids are very potent and efficacious drugs, traditionally used for both acute and chronic
pain conditions. However, the use of opioids is frequently associated with the occurrence of …

Research on the effects of opioids on immune responses was stimulated in the 1980s by the
intersection of use of intravenous heroin and HIV infection, to determine if opioids were …

Activation of glial cells and neuro–glial interactions are emerging as key mechanisms
underlying chronic pain. Accumulating evidence has implicated 3 types of glial cells in the …

Opioids produce strong analgesia but their use is limited by a paradoxical hypersensitivity
named opioid-induced hyperalgesia (OIH) that may be associated to analgesic tolerance. In …

Conspectus Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are the “gatekeepers” of the immune system in
humans and other animals to protect the host from invading bacteria, viruses, and other …

Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) recognizes exogenous pathogen-associated molecular patterns
(PAMPs) and endogenous danger-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) and initiates the …

Concern over antibiotic resistance is growing, and new classes of antibiotics, particularly
against Gram-negative bacteria, are needed. However, even if the scientific hurdles can be …

Alcohol consumption and stress increase brain levels of known innate immune signaling
molecules. Microglia, the innate immune cells of the brain, and neurons respond to alcohol …

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a widespread disease with limited treatment options.
Targeting the neuroimmune system is a new avenue for develo** or repurposing effective …