单纯疱疹病毒Ⅰ型——慢性痛基因治疗的载体

Herpes simplex virus type Ⅰ:A vector of gene therapy for chronic pain

慢性顽固性疼痛严重危害人类健康,传统的药物治疗效果不佳。单纯疱疹病毒I型(herpes simplex virus type I,HSV-I)载体具有天然嗜神经性,适合神经系统转基因治疗。皮下接种HSV-I载体,能有效传递疼痛调节基因至背根神经节(dorsal root ganglion,DRG)的感觉神经元,编码抑制性神经递质或抗炎递质,减轻了炎性和神经病理性疼痛。这种全新的止痛方法,没有全身用药的不良反应,能与标准的止痛治疗措施联合应用,显示了巨大的潜力。现就HSV-I在慢性疼痛治疗中的应用作一综述。

Chronic unremitting pain is a major health concern and does not respond well to traditional pharmacotherapy.The neurotropic herpes simplex virus type I（HSV-1） based vector is suitable for gene transfer application in the nervous system.Subcutaneous inoculation of an HSV-I vector effectively delivers pain-modulating transgenes to sensory neurons in the dorsal root ganglion,and the release of transgene-coded inhibitory neurotransmitters or anti-inflammatory peptides reduces pain-related behaviors in rodent models of chronic inflammatory and neuropathic pain.This novel approach,which alleviates pain without systemic side effects and can be used in combination with standard pain treatments,is of great potential interest.This article gives an overview on the development of the HSV-1-based vector in the treatment of chronic pain.