Abstract

Neuropathic pain is the consequence of abnormal processing in the peripheral or central nervous system (CNS) elicited by neuronal injury. Due to its heterogeneous nature and important unwanted adverse effects of the commonly prescribed psychoactive drugs like benzodiazepines (BDZ), the treatment of neuropathic pain has remained a challenge for the scientific community. Flavonoids initially isolated from plants and used as tranquilizers in Folkloric medicine, have been reported to possess selective affinity for BDZ binding site. These positive ionotropic modulators of γ-amino butyric acid-A (GABAA) receptors enhance the chloride ion flux and provide a strong inhibitory effect. Therefore, for the treatment of central nervous system-related disorders such as neuropathic pain, these selective GABAA receptor modulators stand amongst the strongest candidates. This review provides an update on research development that has confirmed the activity of different flavonoids on GABAA receptors.

Key words: Neuropathic pain, flavonoid, γ-amino butyric acid-A (GABAA) receptors, animal models neuropathy.

Abbreviation

AD, Alzheimer’s disease; ASCIs, acid-sensing ions channel; BDZs, Benzodiazepines; CNS, central nervous system; COX-2, Cycloxygenase-2; CRPS II, Complex Regional Pain Syndrome II; DRG, dorsal root ganglion; GABA, γ-amino butyric acid; IASP, International Association for the Study of Pain; ISSVD, International Society for the Study of Vaginal Disease; MAPK, mitogen-activated protein kinase; NeuPSIG, Neuropathic Pain Special Interest Group; NMDA, N-methyl-D-aspartate; PD, Parkinson’s disease; TNF-α, tumor necrosis factor- α; TRPV, transient receptor potential.