Researchers at the National University of Singapore (NUS), in collaboration with Peking University, have discovered that deuterated water (D₂O), also known as heavy water, offers a potential alternative to traditional painkillers, sidestepping the risks of addiction and tolerance associated with conventional therapies, SciTech Daily reported.
The research showed that D₂O can alleviate pain by opening the TRPV1 ion channel, a transient receptor potential channel located in the spinal chord that is central to pain perception and regulation of body temperature. When activated, the TRPV1 ion channel expands allowing ions and larger molecules to pass through. The exact role of water molecules in this process was previously unclear.
To investigate, a team led by Professor Xiaogang Liu from NUS Chemistry developed a cutting-edge up-conversion nanoprobe capable of differentiating between regular water (H₂O) and D₂O. This new technology enabled precise tracking of water dynamics at single-cell and single-molecule levels.
The team’s findings revealed that when D₂O entered the TRPV1 channel, it effectively reduced pain signal transmission, providing both acute and chronic pain relief in pre-clinical models.
The research, published in Nature Biomedical Engineering on November 21, 2024, demonstrated that D₂O-mediated analgesia does not impair other neurological functions, highlighting its safety and biocompatibility. This solvent-based mechanism also bypasses potential problems of dependency and tolerance, paving the way for innovative pain management strategies.
“This discovery not only advances our understanding of TRPV1 but also opens doors to new applications for D₂O in treating neurological and medical conditions,” said Prof Liu. The team aims to further explore its effects on other ion channels to broaden its therapeutic potential.
The results show the promise of solvent-mediated analgesia as a groundbreaking approach to developing safer, non-addictive pain therapies for clinical use.