Pain's he said/she said

Most preclinical studies are performed in male animals, but a new study suggests entirely different targets, pathways and cell types could be responsible for mechanical pain in males and females, and provides clues about why glial inhibitors have failed in the clinic for pain.

Previous studies have implicated microglia in the pain response because the cells react to inflammatory stimuli and signal to neurons. As a result, inhibitors of microglia and antagonists of receptors expressed on the cell, such as toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), are emerging as potential therapeutic targets for chronic pain. ...