SUBSTANCE-P IS NOT INVOLVED IN VASCULAR NOCICEPTION IN HUMANS

Blood vessels are similar to skin invested with substance P-containing nerves and the binding sites for substance P, which has been shown to be involved in nociception from skin. No attempts have been made so f ar to see whether substance P is also involved in vascular nociception . We therefore tested substance P for its algesic properties in human veins because their innervation exclusively subserves nociception. Sub stance P never evoked pain from veins at concentrations of 10(-8)-10(- 4) M but did so in a concentration-related fashion from skin. Therefor e, substance P is not involved in the generation of acute vascular pai n.