Pain may be defined as an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage, or described in terms of such damage. Chronic pain afflicts 40% of the U.S. population and is associated with numerous deleterious medical conditions. Persistent and highly debilitating, chronic pain is generally accompanied by weakness, sleeplessness, a lack of appetite, irritability and depression. Over time, the quality of life is profoundly affected and patients are often incapable of accomplishing the simple tasks of everyday life.
Currently used pain treatments apply a three-step pain ladder which recommends the administration of drugs as follows: non-opioids (e.g., aspirin, acetaminophen, etc.), then, as necessary, mild opioids (e.g., codeine) and finally strong opioids (e.g., morphine). Despite this arsenal of drugs, over 50% of patients with chronic pain are not effectively treated.
The ineffectiveness of current pain treatments is, inter alia, due to significant toxicity issues with existing drug therapies. Mild to severe toxicity is induced by all classes of pain drugs: non steroidal inflammatory drugs cause gastro-intestinal damage, coxibs are associated with heart failure, and opioids are responsible for numerous side effects including respiratory depression, sedation, digestive malfunctions and addiction.
Transcription factors are important factors in multiple signaling pathways and frequently control the concurrent expression of numerous genes. Many transcription factors are involved in the regulation of the expression of genes that are involved in pain including, but not limited to, POU factors, upstream stimulatory factors (USF), EGR1, cAMP-response element binding protein/activating transcription factors (CREB/ATF), activating protein 1 (AP1), serum response factor (SRF), promoter selective transcription factor (SP1) and the runt related transcription factor 1 (RUNX1).
Thus, there may be significant therapeutic potential in inhibiting transcription factors in order to monitor the expression of genes involved in pain. Accordingly, what is needed are selective, readily available non-toxic transcription factor inhibitors.