Analgesic topical capsaicinoid therapy increases somatostatin-like immunoreactivity in the human plasma

What Was Tested

This clinical trial paper looks at Somatostatin.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the therapeutic potential of local capsaicinoid (EMSPOMA(®) cream) treatment on chronic low back pain in patients with degenerative spine diseases and to investigate the possible mechanism of action of the therapy.

Why It Was Studied

The qualitative and quantitative analyses of capsaicinoids in EMSPOMA(®) cream were performed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS).

In the clinical study 20 patients with degenerative spine diseases were involved in a self-controlled examination.

Who Took Part

The abstract describes 20 patients taking part.

PubMed indexes the participants as middle-aged adults and older adults, both men and women.

The plasma level of somatostatin-like immunoreactivity (SST-LI) was measured by radioimmunoassay (RIA) before and after the treatment on the first and the last day of the therapy.

What Was Measured

The pain (VASs, Oswestry Disability Index) and the mobility of the lumbar region of the spine (Schober's, Domján's L and R test) were detected at baseline and at the end of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd weeks.

The subject headings attached to it are Administration, Cutaneous, Analgesics, Capsaicin, Low Back Pain, Pain Measurement, Somatostatin and Spinal Cord Diseases.

The authors tagged it with the keywords Analgesic effect, Capsaicinoid, Chronic low back pain, Mechanism of action, Nonivamide and TRPV1 receptor.

What This Means in Plain Language

This is a clinical trial of Somatostatin in 20 patients.

With fewer than 40 people, it is a small study, so it is better read as an early signal for further research than as a settled answer.

The publication is from 2014 (Neuropeptides), a journal based in Netherlands.

More context: the Somatostatin compound page, all human trials.