SARS-CoV-2 virus can relieve pain. This explains why some infected people do not experience severe symptoms, but can spread the pathogen.
According to Gadin.Net, scientists from the University of Arizona came to this conclusion after a long research. They published an article in the journal Pain about the unexpected nature of the virus, which could be useful for anesthesia.
Researchers believe that the analgesic effect is due to the "S-protein" that allows the coronavirus to enter human cells. This combination also prevents the transmission of signals associated with the formation of pain sensations. This is because the S-protein binds not only to the ACE2 receptor, but also to the neuropilin-1, a membrane protein in neurons.
Neuropilin-1 is associated with vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A), which plays an important role in the development of blood vessels and is also associated with diseases such as cancer and rheumatoid arthritis. In this case, hyper-irritation of the neurons that cause pain occurs. Binding to S-protein has a similar effect.
In future studies, scientists plan to explore how neuropilin-1 can be used to reduce pain with non-opioid medications.