Research progress of microglia polarization involved in chronic pain / 临床麻醉学杂志

ABSTRACT

Chronic pain has been a prominent public health issue in China for years,affecting over 30%of the population.The mechanism of chronic pain has always been a controversial and difficult topic of pain medicine research.The polarization of microglia inherent in the central nervous system when the external microenvironment changes and the subsequent neuroinflammatory response are critical in chronic pain.Microglia can polarize into pro-inflammatory M1 or anti-inflammatory M2 phenotypes during neuroin-flammatory reactions,exerting neurotoxic or neuroprotective effects in the nervous system,respectively.The aim of the article is proposed to provide an overview of the main mechanisms of microglial polarization and-how it might contribute to chronic pain.