Hydrogen sulfide attenuates diabetic neuropathic pain through NO/cGMP/PKG pathway and μ-opioid receptor.

IMPACT STATEMENT: There are currently approximately 425 million diabetic patients worldwide, of which approximately 90% of patients with diabetes suffer from neuropathy. Diabetic neuropathic pain (DNP) is a common complication of diabetic neuropathy. Nearly half of the patients hospitalized with diabetes have pain symptoms or symptoms related to neurological injury, and the incidence increases with age and diabetic duration. Anti-DNP analgesics have either limited therapeutic effects or serious side effects or lack of clinical trials, which has limited their application. Physiopathological mechanisms and treatment of DNP remain a significant challenge. The present confirmed that inhalation of H2S may attenuate the diabetic neuropathic pain through NO/cGMP/PKG pathway and μ-opioid receptor. It provides us the animal study foundation for the application of H2S on the treatment of DNP and clarifies some target molecules in the pain modulation of DNP.