Sunburn brings pain relief hope

A "SUNBURN" protein that helps us regret spending too long on the beach could lead to new pain treatments.
By The Newsroom
Published 6th Jul 2011, 19:31 BST
Updated 7th Jul 2011, 01:34 BST

The molecule, called CXCL5, controls sensitivity to pain from ultraviolet radiation.

Scientists believe it could provide a new target for medicines treating pain caused by inflammatory conditions such as arthritis.

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CXCL5 belongs to a family of proteins called chemokines which play a key role in inflammation. They recruit inflammatory "macrophage" immune cells to injured tissue, triggering tenderness and pain.

Scientists took small samples of skin that had been exposed to UV radiation and screened them for hundreds of known pain molecules. They discovered unusually high levels of CXCL5.

Further tests on rats confirmed the result, reported in the journal Science Translational Medicine, and showed pain could be reduced using an antibody to neutralise the protein.