Toxins 2015, 7, 4519-4563; doi:10.3390/toxins7114519 OPEN ACCESS toxins ISSN 2072-6651 www.mdpi.com/journal/toxins Review Current Status and Future Directions of Botulinum Neurotoxins for Targeting Pain Processing Sabine Pellett 1, Tony L. Yaksh 2 and Roshni Ramachandran 2,* 1 Department of Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin, 6340 Microbial Sciences Building, 1550 Linden Dr., Madison, WI 53706, USA; E-Mail:
[email protected] 2 Department of Anesthesiology 0818, University of California, 214 Dickinson St., San Diego, CA 92103, USA; E-Mail:
[email protected] * Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; E-Mail:
[email protected]; Tel.: +1-619-543-3597. Academic Editor: Bahman Jabbari Received: 31 July 2015 / Accepted: 19 October 2015 / Published: 4 November 2015 Abstract: Current evidence suggests that botulinum neurotoxins (BoNTs) A1 and B1, given locally into peripheral tissues such as skin, muscles, and joints, alter nociceptive processing otherwise initiated by inflammation or nerve injury in animal models and humans. Recent data indicate that such locally delivered BoNTs exert not only local action on sensory afferent terminals but undergo transport to central afferent cell bodies (dorsal root ganglia) and spinal dorsal horn terminals, where they cleave SNAREs and block transmitter release. Increasing evidence supports the possibility of a trans-synaptic movement to alter postsynaptic function in neuronal and possibly non-neuronal (glial) cells. The vast majority of these studies have been conducted on BoNT/A1 and BoNT/B1, the only two pharmaceutically developed variants. However, now over 40 different subtypes of botulinum neurotoxins (BoNTs) have been identified. By combining our existing and rapidly growing understanding of BoNT/A1 and /B1 in altering nociceptive processing with explorations of the specific characteristics of the various toxins from this family, we may be able to discover or design novel, effective, and long-lasting pain therapeutics.