  Chronic pain is a serious condition that significantly impairs the quality of
life, affecting an estimate of 1.5 billion people worldwide. Despite the
physiological, emotional and financial burden of chronic pain, there is still a
lack of efficient treatments. Neuropeptide Y (NPY) is a highly conserved
endogenous peptide in the central and peripheral nervous system of all mammals,
which has been implicated in both pro- and antinociceptive effects. NPY is
expressed in the superficial laminae of the dorsal horn of the spinal cord,
where it appears to mediate its antinociceptive actions via the Y1 and Y2
receptors. Intrathecal administration of NPY in animal models of neuropathic,
inflammatory or post-operative pain has been shown to cause analgesia, even
though its exact mechanisms are still unclear. It remains to be seen whether
these promising central antinociceptive effects of NPY can be transferred into
a future treatment for chronic pain.
