Importance of the field: Millions of people suffer from neuropathic pain (NP), but the treatment is empirical and results in transient relief in only a few patients. This is primarily because of the poor understanding of the molecular mechanism underlying NP. Following nerve injury, there is a differential and temporal pattern of MMPs expression that coincides with changes in levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, suggesting that MMPs not only act as mediators for neuroinflammation but might also be directly involved in pain associated with nerve damage.
Areas covered in this review: The present review describes the different mechanisms of NP. The main focus of the review is to highlight the importance of MMPs in NP and their inhibition as a novel approach for treating NP.
What the reader will gain: A comprehensive overview of the role of MMPs in the pathogenesis of NP and the potential of MMP inhibition as a therapeutic intervention for NP.
Take home message: Targeted therapy using specific MMP inhibitors, siRNAs, peptide inhibitors and monoclonal antibodies can provide a better way of treatment by blocking a single MMP and can reduce the side effects of broad-spectrum MMP inhibitors.