10/30/2026
Just when we thought we couldn't love Substance P any more, along comes another study. 😂
A new paper in Immunity looked at what sensory nerves do during a herpes virus infection in mice. They released Substance P, and it helped protect the surrounding skin from excessive inflammation and tissue damage.
How? By limiting how many neutrophils entered the infected tissue. Neutrophils help fight infection, but too many can damage tissue. So SP wasn't just promoting inflammation. It was keeping the immune response in check while the body kept fighting the virus.
How cool is that?
This is why we love SP at RAPID. It's involved in nociception, immune communication, inflammation, repair and pain modulation, and its effects depend on where it's working and what the body needs.
Nociceptors don't just report what's happening. They help influence what happens next.
Poor SP. Still waiting for the world to realize it's more than a pain chemical. 😂
Reference: Roger et al. (2026). Sensory neuron production of substance P and TAFA4 promotes disease tolerance during viral infection. Immunity, 59(3), 682–699.e8.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.immuni.2026.01.022
