Neurosteroids and neuropathic pain: an up-to-date perspective

Abstract

This perspective aims to broaden our view on the role of neurosteroids, especially progesterone, allopregnanolone, and dehydroepiandrosterone, in the regulation of neuropathic pain. We will make special emphasis on new available data and open questions about the multiple cellular and molecular pathways that may explain the diverse effects of neurosteroids in the control of pain processing, particularly those involving GABAA and Sigma-1 receptors, and also discuss the modulation of neurosteroidogenesis as a therapeutic strategy for pain disorders. Increasing our knowledge on the underlying mechanisms may help to overcome the challenges of steroid-based therapies and provide a proper translation of experimental findings to human chronic pain conditions.