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T. Philip Malan, Jr.,
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Professor of Anesthesiology, Ph.D., Harvard University,
1981; MD, University of Massachusetts, 1985.
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malan@u.arizona.edu |
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Neuropharmacy; pharmacology and molecular biology of neuropathic
pain.
Research Activities
Chronic pain is a major public health problem. For example,
data from organizations studying health care needs indicate that
pain is the most significant of all of the neurobiological disease
states in terms of its economic and social impact in the United
States. A significant number of patients with pain syndromes,
particularly those with chronic, abnormal pains, continue
to suffer despite attempts at treatment. Chronic, pathologic
pain states affect lmost one-third of all Americans. The
lack of effective clinical treatments results in a national loss
of productivity, personal and family suffering, depression and
suicide.
Our laboratory focuses on the study of neuropathic pain, a particularly
complex chronic pain resulting from injury or disease of nerves
and a particularly difficult pain to treat. We utilize an
experimental model of neuropathic pain created by surgical ligation
of the L5 and L6 spinal nerves in rats. We are currently conducting
three lines of research. First, we are studying the effectiveness
of cannabinoid receptor agonists in reversing the signs of neuropathic
pain. Second, we are testing the hypothesis that decreased
activity of the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA (gamma-amino-butyric
acid) in the spinal cord may be responsible for some of the signs
and symptoms of neuropathic pain. In parallel, we are examining
the utility of GABA-agonist drugs in treating neuropathic pain.
Finally, we are studying the expression and function of selected
neurotransmitters in the spinal cord following nerve injury.
This research focuses on neuropeptides postulated to be important
in the creation and maintenance of the pain state, particularly
the opioid peptide, dynorphin.
Our work combines in vitro analytical and molecular techniques
with in vivo measurements of pain sensitivity. Although
we primarily focus on the spinal nerve ligation model, when appropriate
we also study patients with neuropathic pain syndromes.
Publications (Query PubMed for this investigator)
Malan TP, Ibrahim MM, Deng H, Mata HP, Vanderah T, Porreca F,
Makriyannis A: CB2 Cannabinoid receptor-mediated peripheral analgesia.
Submitted, 2001.
Malan TP, Mata HP, Porreca F: Spinal GABA-A and GABA-B
receptor pharmacology in a rat model of neuropathic pain.
Submitted, 2001.
Ibrahim M, Mata HP, Chawla M, Lai J, Porreca F, Malan TP:
Specific inhibition of c-fos expression increases formalin-induced
nociception: Lack of correlation with spinal dynorphin content.
J Pain, in press, 2001.
Simoneau I, Hamza MS, Mata HP, Porreca F, Makriyannis A, Malan
TP: The cannabinoid agonist WIN 55,212-2 suppresses opioid-induced
emesis in ferrets. Anesthesiology, in press, 2001.
Malan TP, Ossipov MH, Ibrahim M, Bian DI, Lai J, Porreca F:
Extraterritorial Neuropathic Pain Correlates with Multisegmental
Elevation of Spinal Dynorphin in Nerve-Injured Rats. Pain; 86:185-194,
2000.
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