Researchers have discovered unexpected protective properties of pain, which may help to explain why pain is such a prominent feature of many diseases.
Studying a model of inflammation in mice, the researchers found that pain protects against further tissue damage by inhibiting the release of damaging inflammatory factors.
While it has long been known that pain serves as a warning sign of tissue damage, the new findings suggest that pain may also have a protective role.
The findings could have implications for the treatment of inflammatory diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, where pain is a major symptom.
The study, published in the journal Nature Medicine, was led by researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine.
Continue reading… “Pain may have protective function, study suggests”
Although it is commonly believed that pain is solely an unpleasant experience, new research suggests that it may also have some unexpected protective properties.
Scientists have long known that pain serves an important purpose by alerting us to potential dangers and prompting us to take action to avoid them. However, the new study, published in the journal Science, suggests that pain may also help to protect us from further harm by promoting healing and tissue repair.
The study was conducted in mice, and found that pain actually increased the production of a protein called growth differentiation factor-9 (GDF-9), which is known to be involved in cell growth and regeneration.
Interestingly, the researchers found that the levels of GDF-9 were highest in the mice that experienced the most pain. This suggest that pain may be a necessary part of the healing process, and that reducing pain too quickly could potentially interfere with the body’s natural ability to repair itself.
Of course, more research is needed to confirm these findings in humans, but the results of this study offer a new perspective on pain and its role in the body. Rather than being merely an unpleasant sensation, pain may actually be an important part of the healing process.
