Sunburn study could lead to new pain relief

Researchers at King's College London have found a molecule in the body which controls sensitivity to pain from UVB irradiation, identifying it as a new target for medicines to treat pain caused by other common inflammatory conditions such as arthritis. The molecule, called CXCL5, is part of a family of proteins called chemokines, which recruit inflammatory immune cells to the injured tissue, triggering pain and tenderness. This is the first study to reveal this molecule's role in mediating pain. The study, funded by the Wellcome Trust (as part of the London Pain Consortium), and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, was published today in the journal Science Translational Medicine . The research teams, led by Professor Stephen McMahon and David Bennett at King's College London, part of King's Health Partners Academic Health Sciences Centre, carried out a simple procedure in healthy human volunteers, to expose small patches of their skin to UVB irradiation, creating a small area of sunburn. The treated skin became tender over the following hours, with peak sensory change one to two days later. At this peak the researchers took small biopsies of the affected skin and analysed the tissue for hundreds of pain mediators.