Abstract
 

PNPase inhibition as an effective treatment for chronic pain and age-associated disorders

Despite the prevalence and impact of chronic pain conditions as well age-related disorders on quality of life in humans, a multitude of such conditions continue to be undertreated simply because there are few successful therapeutic options, especially minimally invasive ones.  We propose the novel concept of reversing or restoring these dysfunctions by redirecting purine metabolism using an inhibitor of purine nucleoside phosphorylase (PNPase).  Our preclinical findings demonstrate that inhibiting PNPase exert beneficial anti-inflammatory and tissue-protective effects in various target organ systems include the lower urinary tract and nervous system.