Epigenetic Mechanisms in Pain
A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Genetics and Genomics".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2025 | Viewed by 33
Special Issue Editor
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Chronic pain has become a serious global public health challenge and crisis, severely affecting quality of life and imposing substantial economic burdens.
Due to rapid technological advances, the field of pain research and therapeutics has seen continuous breakthroughs in recent years. However, existing treatment strategies still face marked limitations. Uncovering novel molecular mechanisms underlying chronic pain holds great promise to break new ground and mark a historic turning point in pain management.
Emerging evidence demonstrates that epigenetic regulatory mechanisms, including DNA methylation, histone modifications, chromatin accessibility, and noncoding RNAs play decisive roles in modulating the expression of pain-related genes without altering the underlying DNA sequence.
These mechanisms are critically involved in the pathological progression underlying the development and maintenance of pain. Moreover, epigenetic modifications impact key aspects such as neural plasticity, ion channel function, synaptic transmission, and inflammatory responses, thereby directly or indirectly influencing the development of various forms of chronic pain, such as neuropathic pain, inflammatory pain, visceral pain, and chemotherapy-induced pain. Consequently, novel therapeutic strategies targeting epigenetic regulation have become a major focus of research. These interventions carry significant potential to reverse pain states and stabilize neuronal functions.
This Special Issue aims to build a high-level academic exchange platform and invites original research and review articles in the following areas:
- Epigenetic regulation mechanisms in pain signaling pathways;
- Discovery of innovative epigenetic biomarkers for pain;
- Epigenetic changes in response to inflammation or chronic drug exposure;
- Preclinical or clinical studies evaluating epigenetic-targeted therapies for pain relief.
We sincerely look forward to receiving multi-layered studies ranging from molecular mechanisms to system integration that elucidate the critical roles of epigenetic regulatory networks in pain progression. Your outstanding work will bring new momentum to the advancement of pain medicine and will help open up new horizons in the field of pain therapy.
Prof. Dr. Hsien-Yu Peng
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- chronic pain
- epigenetics
- molecular biomarkers
- neural plasticity
- ion channel function
- synaptic transmission
- therapeutic strategies
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