Low-Dose Naltrexone for Chronic and Cancer Pain
A special issue of Pharmaceuticals (ISSN 1424-8247). This special issue belongs to the section "Pharmacology".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 September 2026 | Viewed by 282
Editor
2. McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth), Houston, TX 77030, USA
Interests: pain management; cancer pain; innovation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Chronic pain and cancer-related pain are pervasive global public health issues that severely compromise patients’ quality of life and functional capacity. Low-dose naltrexone (LDN), a μ-opioid receptor antagonist used at doses far lower than those for opioid dependence treatment, has emerged as a promising analgesic due to its unique mechanism of action and favorable safety profile, addressing unmet needs in patients with inadequate pain control from conventional therapies.
This Special Issue of Pharmaceuticals aims to consolidate cutting-edge research and comprehensive insights into the role of LDN in managing chronic and cancer pain. It seeks to advance understanding of LDN’s analgesic mechanisms, clinical efficacy, and safety, while providing a platform for researchers, clinicians, and pharmacologists to share findings that optimize LDN-based pain management strategies.
Additionally, this Special Issue aims to bridge preclinical and clinical research gaps to promote evidence-based application of LDN in clinical practice.
Recent cutting-edge studies have elucidated LDN’s multifaceted analgesic mechanisms, including modulation of the endocannabinoid system, inhibition of neuroinflammation and microglial activation, and regulation of pro-inflammatory cytokine release. Emerging clinical evidence also highlights LDN’s potential in alleviating refractory chronic pain (e.g., fibromyalgia, neuropathic pain) and cancer-related pain, as well as its synergistic effects with conventional analgesics to reduce adverse events.
We welcome high-quality original research articles, reviews, systematic reviews and meta-analyses, case reports, and perspectives focusing on LDN in chronic and cancer pain, including studies on its molecular/cellular mechanisms, preclinical evaluations, clinical trials, optimal dosing regimens, patient selection, long-term outcomes, drug–drug interactions, and real-world evidence.
Dr. Carlos Roldan
Guest Editor
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Keywords
- low-dose naltrexone
- LDN
- chronic pain
- cancer pain
- analgesia
- neuroinflammation
- endocannabinoid system
- pain management
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