Peripheral inducers of pain and hyperalgesia

Molecular Basis of Pain Inductionedited by John N. Wood, John Wiley & Sons, 2000. £83.50 (hardback)(xi+306 pages) ISBN 0 471 346071This welcome and timely book is an excellent starting point for the newcomer to the field of pain research. Students and fellows new to the field and interested in peripheral events that contribute to pain and hyperalgesia would do well to start here. The content is up to date and will surely be superceded by new findings in this rapidly expanding field, but the book will not lose relevance as a valuable introduction and resource for background information.Of the 13 chapters, one is a helpful primer on molecular approaches to the study of pain. Readers unfamiliar with the different techniques that can be used to analyze changes in the expression of known candidate genes or to identify and study unknown genes, whose regulation might be important to pathophysiological processes and pain, will find useful guidance. Changes in mRNA content reflect altered rates of gene transcription or post-translational processing of the mRNA transcript, and this chapter thus focuses on strategies to investigate species of mRNA. Four chapters address the contributions of neurotrophic factors to sensory neuron development, survival and signaling, including mechanotransduction. As a group, these chapters constitute a comprehensive overview while also incorporating new data and interesting speculation on the roles of neurotrophin-sensitive nociceptors in chronic pain states. The stand-alone chapter on sensory neuron mechanotransduction includes a relevant discussion on potential contributions of a relatively new family of cation channels, principally ASIC (acid-sensing ion channel) and DRASIC (dorsal root ganglion ASIC). A single chapter considers ion channels and receptors that are specific to sensory neurons, focusing on Na+ channels, ATP-gated channels and proton-gated channels. There are several excellent summary tables that are both instructive and helpful, but the content seems truncated until it is appreciated that a subsequent chapter devoted to vanilloid receptors (VR1 and VR-like) complements the limited discussion here about proton-gated channels. Similarly, in a later chapter, modulation of K+, Ca2+ and Na+ currents in sensory neurons by endogenous mediators (e.g. prostaglandins and nerve growth factor) builds on the earlier introduction of sensory-neuron-specific ion channels. Rounding off the content is a comprehensive and extensively referenced chapter on the role of substance P in nociception and analgesia, which also incorporates data from mouse null mutants, a chapter on bradykinin receptors in nociception and inflammation, and a chapter on opioid receptors employing targeted gene deletions.Criticisms of the book relate mainly to the poor quality of the figures and diagrams, especially halftones. There are photomicrographs and many figures and drawings in the book that are unacceptable and a disservice to readers and authors alike. However, this estimable book, edited well by John Wood, has many strengths. The contributions are of general high quality and admirably current, particularly given the rapid rate at which new information in this field appears in the primary literature.