Study in rats shows how paracetamol relieves pain

Researchers in Israel unveiled how one of the most common painkillers – paracetamol - relieves pain, in a study conducted on rats. 

It was believed that paracetamol relieves pain by working only on the nervous system, namely the brain and spinal cord.  

The researchers, from EARA member Hebrew University of Jerusalem, found that paracetamol also acts in the nerves that first detect the pain. After taking paracetamol, the body produces a molecule called AM404. It has now been found that this molecule is produced in the nerves that first detect pain, where it blocks pain transmission in rats before the pain message even starts. 

This discovery, published in PNAS, could be used to develop new types of painkillers that avoid common side effects, said Avi Priel, co-leader of the study: "If we can develop new drugs based on AM404, we might finally have pain treatments that are highly effective but also safer and more precise."