The therapeutic effect of platelet-rich plasma on neuropathic pain – PRPain

Chronic pain not only causes physical suffering but also affects daily life, leading to symptoms such as irritability, aggression, withdrawal, and loss of autonomy. Additionally, it increases the risk of developing mood disorders. Therefore, managing chronic pain is a significant public health challenge. Neuropathic pain and post-surgical pain are two of the most common types of chronic pain encountered in the population. Unfortunately, these types of pain are difficult to alleviate and no satisfactory treatment is currently available.
In recent years, a new therapeutic tool has been developed in many medical fields: platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection. PRP is an autologous platelet blood concentrate enriched with immune system messengers (growth factors, cytokines, chemokines), adhesion molecules, and serotonin. It has been hypothesized that PRP could promote nerve regeneration after injury and reduce the neuro-immune response, thus potentially playing a protective and/or analgesic role in neuropathic and persistent post-surgical pain.
In this context, our PRPain project aims to evaluate the therapeutic potential (preventive and curative) of PRP in a mouse model of neuropathic pain induced by sciatic nerve compression and to generalize this evaluation to another pain etiology, post-surgical pain, using a mouse model of paw incision. We then propose to validate the therapeutic importance of the platelet component of PRP. Finally, we will decipher the mechanism underlying the therapeutic action of PRP on neuropathic pain by analyzing gene expression changes in tissues associated with nerve injury and treatment (dorsal horn of the spinal cord, dorsal root ganglia, and sciatic nerve). The entire project will be performed in males and females.
Through the PRPain project, we aim to validate the use of PRP in the context of neuropathic and post-surgical pain and to advance our understanding of the molecular mechanisms associated with its therapeutic action. We hope that the results of the PRPain project will lead to the widespread use of PRP as an analgesic in a standardized fashion and open the door to new therapeutic targets.