We all know Tylenol works, but now scientists have discovered how the medicine blocks pain
A new study into how Tylenol affects the central nervous system, blocking pain signals at origin, before they can reach the brain.
Tylenol has been the go-to pain reliever for fever, headaches and many other ailments, aches and pains for generations of Americans. Paracetamol (acetaminophen) is the active ingredient in Tylenol - an over-the-counter medication which is widely available and can be bought without a prescription.
What we do and don’t know about acetaminophen
A new study has looked into how one of the components of Tylenol affects the central nervous system, the brain and spinal cord. AM404 is metabolite of paracetamol and is responsible for all or part of its analgesic properties.
The PNAS study administered Tylenol to newborn laboratory rats suffering from inflammation to get a closer look at how the sensory neurons in the peripheral nervous system generates AM404.
Researchers found that AM404 blocks sodium channels - which play a part in generating and transmitting pain signals. That action stops neurons from sending pain messages to the brain.
The results have given scientists an new insight into how acetaminophen (paracetamol) affects both our central nervous system (brain and spinal cord), and peripheral nervous system (sensory receptors, neurons and motor neurons) - as well as its damaging effect on the liver. These findings may not have any impact on how acetaminophen is currently used to alleviate pain, but will be invaluable in the quest to produce the next generation of pain relief medication.
The study sheds new light on acetaminophen‘s mechanism of action and it’s effect on the peripheral nervous system.
“Whole families of new drugs could be designed based around blocking sodium channels," Nial Wheate, a professor of pharmaceutical chemistry at Australia’s Macquarie University explained. “These new drugs could be both more effective and safer than not just paracetamol, but other painkillers like ibuprofen or the opioids”.
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