Journal of Pain Research (Apr 2022)
Nociceptors: Their Role in Body’s Defenses, Tissue Specific Variations and Anatomical Update
Abstract
Vladimir N Nikolenko,1,2 Ekaterina M Shelomentseva,2 Maria M Tsvetkova,2 Elina I Abdeeva,1 Dmitriy B Giller,1 Juliya V Babayeva,1 Evgeny E Achkasov,1 Liliya V Gavryushova,3 Mikhail Y Sinelnikov1,4 1First Moscow State Medical University Named After I.M. Sechenov (Sechenov University), Moscow, 119991, Russia; 2Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119991, Russia; 3Saratov State Medical University, Saratov, Russian Federation; 4Research Institute of Human Morphology, Moscow, 119901, Russian FederationCorrespondence: Mikhail Y Sinelnikov, Sechenov University, Trubetskaya 8, Moscow, 119991, Russian Federation, Tel/Fax +7 89199688587, Email [email protected]: The human body is constantly under the influence of numerous pathological factors: both external and internal. These factors can be potentially harmful and are perceived as such with a specialized nervous system subunit: the nociceptive system. The functional unit of the nociceptive system is the nociceptor. Recent studies have shown that nociceptors play a crucial role in maintaining of defensive homeostasis (responsive, immune, behavioral). Nociceptors respond to potentially harmful stimuli within viscera, bones, muscles, skin and specialized sensory organs. They function as complex predictors of harm through formation of pain stimulus. Their function and structures vary within different tissues. This variability reflects the anatomical and pathological peculiarities of varying tissues. Nociceptors play a significant role in adaptive, protective and behavioral reactions. Their functional capabilities and vast spread throughout the body make them the main units of the body’s defense system, allowing us to interact with the inner and outer environments.Keywords: nociceptors, defensive homeostasis, tissue specific variability, pain perception
