New painkiller to provide longer lasting effects

Researchers have discovered a new compound that offers longer lasting painkilling effects and may serve many of the same functions as an injectable or topical painkiller.
The new compound, boronicaine, shows promise as an alternative to current anesthetics, researchers said.
Lidocaine has been the gold standard in local anesthetics for more than 50 years because of its versatility and effectiveness at quickly numbing pain in targeted areas, researchers said.
"While lidocaine is effective as a short-term painkiller, its effects wear off quickly. We developed a new compound that can quickly provide longer lasting relief," said George Kracke, associate professor of anesthesiology and perioperative medicine at the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Medicine and lead author of the study.

"This type of painkiller could be beneficial in treating sports injuries or in joint replacement procedures," Kracke said.
Painkillers work by interfering with the nervous system's transmission of nerve signals that the body perceives as pain.

Lidocaine is used as an injectable pain reliever in minor surgical or dental procedures, or as a topical ointment or spray to relieve itching, burning and pain from shingles, sunburns, jellyfish stings and insect bites.
M Frederick Hawthorne, director of MU's International Institute of Nano and Molecular Medicine and a pioneer in the field of boron chemistry, synthesised boronicaine as a derivative of lidocaine.

By changing aspects of the chemical structure of lidocaine, the researchers found that the new compound provided pain relief that lasted five times longer than lidocaine.
In pre-clinical, early stage studies, boronicaine provided about 25 minutes of relief, compared to about five minutes of pain relief with lidocaine.
"Although some conditions may warrant the use of a short-lasting painkiller, in many cases a longer lasting anesthetic is a better option," Kracke said.
"Having a longer lasting anesthetic reduces the dosage or number of doses needed, limiting the potential for adverse side effects," Karcke said.
While other types of painkillers can provide longer pain relief than lidocaine, they can cause heart toxicity, gastrointestinal issues and other side effects.

Preliminary findings show no toxicity in single-dose studies of boronicaine, though more studies are needed, researchers said.