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Potential Pain Mechanisms Elucidated in Chronic Prostatitis/Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome
Liu YJ, Song GH, Zhang C. [Prostatic inflammation-induced chronic pelvic pain: Roles of substance P and c-fos in the spinal cord]. [Article in Chinese] Zhonghua Nan Ke Xue. 2015 Aug;21(8):681-6.
Researchers have identified a possible pain mechanism of chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS) by modeling the condition in rats. In particular, rats with CP/CPPS had a higher expression of substance P and a protein called c-fos in the spinal cord as compared with normal control rats. Substance P is a neurotransmitter thought to be important in pain perception. Likewise, researchers consider c-fos to be a neural marker of pain. The rats with CP/CPPS also showed a higher sensitivity to pain stimuli, and greater degree of prostate inflammation as compared with the control subjects.