Almost everyone was accepted by paracetamol to relieve pain, or to reduce the fever. It is clear that in our society a very connected drug. But if they tell us about this so far by scientists They had no idea how paracetamol works? It may seem like a joke, but this is absolutely true.
Well, they had a small idea, but there were many unknown people who still remained hidden. The response to the secret was provided by a team of scientists from Jewish University of Jerusalem When looking for a goal of action, which was still unknown to paracetamol.
And it was known that this drug acts on the brain, but it was suspected that there could be something else. This “something” turned out that too It acts directly on the peripheral nervesCut the root and specifically. This conclusion not only shows us why paracetamol is so effective. It also provides very useful information for the development of future pain from pain.
A long time, for a long time …
If today opioid dependence is a serious problem of public health in countries such as the United States, the situation in the nineteenth century was, if it was more unstable, mainly because there were almost no other alternatives for the treatment of pain. Thus, many scientists worked on the synthesis of the drug whose analgesic effects Do not follow from their content in these addictive substances.
One of those scientists was the French chemist Harmon Northrop Mors, who in 1878 I managed to synthesize paracetamolAlso known as acetaminophen. Unfortunately, his conclusion was not taken very seriously. As soon as the advantages of this medicine were considered. This, along with the incorrect interpretation of his security profile, made him fall into oblivion for decades. Great time to understand how it worked if you ask us.
However, in the 1950s, something happened, which again brought paracetamol to the candle. A PhenacetinA similar drug that was used as an analgesic of choice for most pain was removed by causing renal toxicity Then it was found that paracetamol was a wonderful option that not only reduced the pain, but also had antiframed effects. All this with a very small number of side effects.
Its use has spread more and more today – an observer. In 2024, he generated more than 961 million dollars All over the world and this 2025, it is expected that it will exceed 989 million.
Clinical tests showed that it works and is safe in the correct doses; Although, like any drug, it can sometimes generate side effects. All this is very well controlled. What was not known until recently is How paracetamol works.
How does paracetamol work?
It was still known that the first thing that happens when paracetamol is used is that It is metabolized in the liver, Where it leads to 4-aminophenol. This passes through the bloodstream to other organs, including the brain where it becomes N arakidonoilphenolamine (AM404) Due to the action of enzyme fatty acid hydrolasis of amida (FAAH).
Just AM404 is responsible for Paracetamol analgesic force. But there was something, that all this time avoided scientists. What is this substance in the brain to reduce pain? To understand how paracetamol works for more than a century, but in the end the key was to look beyond the scope of the brain. And it turns out that, according to the conclusions that have just been published in PNAAM404 is also found directly in Peripheral nerve endings. There, turn off the sodium channels necessary for transmitting pain to the brain. Therefore, the key should not turn off the signal in the brain. There is no signal to turn off.
What can we extract from this discovery?
The authors of this study believe that knowledge of how paracetamol works can serve as a development New analgesics based on AM404. They believe in this, because, specifically turning to the nerves responsible for the transmission of painkillers, their use can help reduce side effects, such as muscle numbness What will happen with a more general influence on other types of nerves.
Without a doubt, this is an important conclusion, but also the fact that even what seems to be an impossible mystery can be solved with sufficient patience and time. It is also science.
Source: Hiper Textual
