Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39630391›Full record

ReviewPain and therapy2025

A Decades-Long Journey of Palmitoylethanolamide (PEA) for Chronic Neuropathic Pain Management: A Comprehensive Narrative Review.

Giustino Varrassi, Martina Rekatsina, Matteo Luigi Giuseppe Leoni, Marco Cascella, Gabriele Finco, Salvatore Sardo, Chiara Corno, Domenico Tiso, Vittorio Schweiger, Diego Maria Michele Fornasari and 1 more

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Pain and therapy, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
11citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

11 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Trial
  2. Trial
  3. Palmitoylethanolamide in Human and Animal Obesity.Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026
    Review
  4. Review
  5. Article
  6. Review
  7. Review
  8. Neuroprotective Pathway Modulation by a NovelInternational journal of molecular sciences · 2025
    Article
  9. Article
  10. Review
  11. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Giustino VarrassiFondazione Paolo Procacci, 00193, Rome, Italy.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3822-2923
Martina RekatsinaDepartment of Anesthesia and Pain Management, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7671-4056
Matteo Luigi Giuseppe LeoniDepartment of Medical and Surgical Sciences and Translational Medicine, Sapienza University of Roma, Rome, Italy.
Marco CascellaAnesthesia and Pain Medicine, Department of Medicine, Surgery and Dentistry "Scuola Medica Salernitana", University of Salerno, Via S. Allende, 84081, Baronissi, Italy.
Gabriele FincoDepartment of Medical Sciences and Public Health, Università di Cagliari, 09042, Monserrato, Italy.
Salvatore SardoDepartment of Medical Sciences and Public Health, Università di Cagliari, 09042, Monserrato, Italy. salvatore.sardo@unica.it.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7664-8928
Chiara CornoURGO Foundation, Chenôve, France.
Domenico TisoDepartment of Nutrition, "Villa Maria" Hospital, Rimini, Italy.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5001-3668
Vittorio SchweigerDepartment of Surgery, Dentistry, Maternal and Infant Sciences, Pain Therapy Centre, Verona University Hospital, Policlinico GB Rossi, Verona, Italy.
Diego Maria Michele FornasariDepartment of Medical Biotechnology and Translational Medicine, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy.
Antonella PaladiniDepartment of Life, Health, and Environmental Sciences, Università degli Studi dell'Aquila, L'Aquila, Italy.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1219-9315

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Palmitoylethanolamide (PEA) has been prescribed in neuropathic pain management for over 20 years. This study aims to summarize what has been published on the topic in the last 15 years and determine the appropriateness of the prescribing. It describes the pharmacological aspect of PEA, especially focusing on its pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics. Then, it deeply explores why PEA may be useful in the pharmacological management of both neuropathic and mixed pain. Finally, it examines some innovative patent, which aims to address obstacles encountered with conventional PEA formulations, for its pharmacodynamic characteristics. One of them (Equisetum-PEA) seems promising. It partially ameliorates the bioavailability and the targeted distribution. It seems to introduce novel advancements that can potentially enhance the therapeutic effectiveness of PEA in terms of its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and analgesic properties. The deep literature analysis aims to examine the potential advantages of PEA, in the context of several pathological conditions that may benefit from this molecule. It focuses on various published data regarding the clinical efficacy of PEA in managing neuropathic and mixed pain. Also, it tries to understand if it can modernize the field of therapy based on PEA, thus offering a better treatment option for individuals with chronic long-term inflammation, oxidative stress, and neuropathic or mixed pain with a neuropathic component. The study examines the possible impact of PEA on personalized medicine strategies and its potential for translation into clinical practice. It analyses the possibilities that PEA has in enhancing patient outcomes in a range of central nervous system and inflammatory conditions. A complete analysis of the therapeutic potentialities of this product was missing. This extensive narrative review makes a valuable contribution to the ongoing comprehension of PEA therapy. It establishes a foundation for further exploration in research and potential uses in clinical settings.

Indexed as

Degenerative neuropathiesEquiPEA®Mixed painNeuropathic painPainPalmitoylethanolamide (PEA)Personalized medicine strategies

Identifiers

PMID39630391
PMCPMC11751209

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.