Sérgio Henrique Ferreira, Brazilian pharmacologist (Franca, São Paulo State 04 October 1934 – Ribeirão Preto 17 July 2016)

ACHIEVEMENTS

Gained international recognition for his studies on field of inflammatory analgesics

Authored 281 papers (until early 2013)

Proposed that the aspirin’s mechanism of action was due to prevention of pain receptors sensibilization  as a consequence of prostaglandin synthesis inhibition  

With J.R. Vane and Y.S. Bakhle obtained experimental evidence that angiotensin inhibition could be a hypertension therapy  

With M. Rocha e Silva discovered and isolated bradykinin potentiating factor or BPF (1965)

Discovered peripheral analgesic mechanism of action of dipyrone  

Discovered peripheral action of morphine and the phenomenon of tele-antagonism

Observed hyperalgesia mechanism  

Characterized the phenomenon of retrograde sensibilization of primary sensorial neuron that consists in glutamate release in spinal cord of primary peripheral neuron  

Demonstrated cytokines involvement in inflammatory pain  

Discovered anti-hypertensive converting enzymes inhibitors

Proposed the development of opiates drugs of peripheral action

Contributed significantly to define the role of inflammatory mediators to inducing hyperalgesia

Proposed the idea that the development of inflammatory pain depends on hierarchical release of distinct mediators

Proposed that the inflammatory pain followed stimuli action on prostaglandin-sensitized nociceptors (1972)

Discovered that a distinct class of analgesics is able to counteract the ongoing sensitization of the primary sensory neuron via stimulation of the arginine/-nitric oxide pathway

Described an antagonist of interleukin 1 that is being developed as a model for a new class of analgesics

Found that interleukin I mediates the endogenous release of prostaglandins and interleukin 8 is responsible for the development of the sympathetic hyperalgesia

Characterized the retrograde sensitization of the primary sensory neuron (2008)    

A new method for measuring variations of rat paw volume. J. Pharm. Pharmacol. 31:648, 1979

HONORS

Mahidol Award, Prince Mahidol Foundation (2008)

Honorary Member, International Association for the Study of Pain (2005)

Member, National Academy of Sciences (2002)

Werle Commemorative Medal (1993)

Ferreira Award, Norwegian Hypertension Society (1990)