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Science 14 April 2000:
Vol. 288. no. 5464, pp. 241 - 242
DOI: 10.1126/science.288.5464.241a
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News of the Week

NEUROSCIENCE:
Hot Pepper Receptor Could Help Manage Pain

Gretchen Vogel

In work described on page 306, neuroscientists genetically altered mice to remove the receptor that responds to some painful stimuli, including heat and capsaicin, the active ingredient in chili peppers. The mice behaved normally in most respects, but showed less sensitivity to high temperatures and drank capsaicin-laced water freely. Their neurons also failed to respond to certain normally noxious stimuli. Those traits could make the receptor a promising target for pain-killing drugs.

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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)