Molecular signature of complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) and its analysis

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) is a rare, but often disabling pain disease. Biomarkers are lacking, but several inflammatory substances have been associated with the pathophysiology. This review outlines the current knowledge with respect to target biomolecules and the analytical tools available to measure them.

Areas covered: Targets include cytokines, neuropeptides and resolvins; analysis strategies are thus needed for different classes of substances such as proteins, peptides, lipids and small molecules. Traditional methods like immunoassays are of importance next to state-of-the art high-resolution mass spectrometry techniques and ‘omics’ approaches.

Expert commentary: Future biomarker studies need larger cohorts, which improve subgrouping of patients due to their presumed pathophysiology, and highly standardized workflows from sampling to analysis.

KEYWORDS:

• Inflammation
• cytokine
• neuropeptide
• resolvin
• immunoassay
• mass spectrometry

Declaration of interest

The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

Additional information

Funding

This manuscript was funded by grants from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft: DFG KO1694/13-1 and DFG BI579/8-1.