Flavonoids in Neuropathic Pain

Abstract

The US healthcare system continues to bear a heavy burden from chronic pain. Despite intensive research efforts, neuropathic pain, a common type of chronic pain, is still very difficult to treat. The efficacy of current pharmacologic regimens is limited, and a variety of potentially harmful side effects are present. A thorough preclinical analysis of the literature on the use of flavonoids in the management of neuropathic pain is provided in this review. Flavonoids are naturally occurring substances that can be found in a variety of dietary sources, including plants, and they may be useful in treating neuropathic pain. This advantage has been shown in numerous studies using animal models, including the reversal of allodynia and hyperalgesia. As shown by the decline in numerous pro-inflammatory mediators like TNF-, NF-B, IL-1, and IL-6, flavonoids have also demonstrated an anti-inflammatory effect relevant to neuropathic pain. For neuropathic pain, flavonoids show promise in preclinical models but have not yet been tested in humans.