Search

Graphical abstract Highlights • Several studies have highlighted the important contribution of the DRG in a non-injured nerve. • We showed that a neurotrophin NGF was downregulated in intact DRG neurons after spared nerve injury. • Downregulation of NGF in intact DRG neurons may contribute to the neuropathic pain. Abstract Neuropathic pain is initiated by a primary lesion in the peripheral nervous system and spoils quality of life. Neurotrophins play important roles in the development and transmission of neuropathic pain. There are conflicting reports that the dorsal root ganglion (DRG) in an injured nerve contribute to neuropathic pain, whereas several studies have highlighted the important contribution of the DRG in a non-injured nerve. Clarifying the role of neurotrophins in neuropathic pain is problematic because we cannot distinguish injured and intact neurons in most peripheral nerve injury models. In the present study, to elicit neuropathic pain, we used the spared nerve injury (SNI) model, in which injured DRG neurons are distinguishable from intact ones, and mechanical allodynia develops in the intact sural nerve skin territory. We examined nerve growth factor (NGF) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) expression in the DRGs of SNI model mice. NGF and BDNF levels increased in the injured L3 DRG, while NGF decreased in the intact L5 DRG. These data offer a new point of view on the role of these neurotrophins in neuropathic pain induced by peripheral nerve injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microglia cell activation plays a role in the development of neuropathic pain partly due to the activation of the p38α MAPK signaling pathway after nerve injury. In this study we assessed the effect of UR13870, a p38α MAPK inhibitor, in the “spared nerve injury” (SNI) model, to study its effects on modulation of spinal microglial activation and to test behavioral hyperreflexia responses and cerebral-mediated pain behavior. The effect of daily administration of UR13870 (10 mg/kg p.o.) and Pregabalin (50 mg/kg p.o.) on reflex hypersensitivity to mechanical and cold test stimuli and on affective related pain responses measured with the place escape avoidance paradigm and the open field-induced anxiety test, were evaluated after SNI in Sprague Dawley rats. Microglial reactivity in the ipsilateral lumbar laminae I/II dorsal horn was evaluated with OX-42 immunohistochemistry. UR13870 treatment significantly decreased hindlimb hyperreflexia to both mechanical and cold stimuli after SNI without loss of general motor function, in addition to a reduction in pain-related anxiety behavior at day 21 after SNI, accompanied by normalization of OX-42 immunoreactivity within the ipsilateral lumbar dorsal horn. Pregabalin treatment only reduced mechanical hyperreflexia and affected general motor function. Oral administration of the p38α MAPK inhibitor, UR13870, mediates antinociception to both mechanical and cold stimuli, and significantly restored inner-zone exploration in the open field test, accompanied by normalization in dorsal horn microglial activation in the SNI model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Spared nerve injury (SNI) up-regulates TNFR1 and TNFR2 in the red nucleus (RN). [•] The up-regulation of TNFR2 in the RN of rats with SNI is earlier than that of TNFR1. [•] TNFR1 in the RN plays crucial role in the early and later stages of neuropathic pain. [•] TNFR2 in the RN plays an important role in the early stage of neuropathic pain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The role of the purinergic system in the modulation of pain mechanisms suggests that it might be promising target for treating neuropathic pain. In this study we evaluated the effects of two different dialdehydic compounds: a modified stable adenosine (2-[1-(6-amminopurin-9-il)-2-osso-etossi]prop-2-enale, named MED1101), and oxidized ATP (Ox-ATP), in two different neuropathic pain rat models: the sciatic spared nerve injury (SNI) and paclitaxel evoked painful peripheral neuropathy (pPPN). Neuropathic animals were divided in groups as follows: (a) treated with intraperitoneal (i.p.) MED1101 or Ox-ATP for 21 days; (b) receiving vehicle (VEH) and (c) control (CTR) rats. The allodynic and hyperalgesic behavior was investigated by Von Frey filament test and thermal Plantar test, respectively. We evaluated by immunocytochemistry the astrocytic (GFAP) and microglial (Iba1) response on lumbar spinal cord sections. In either experimental models and using either substances, treated animals showed reduced allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia paralleled by a significant reduction of glial reaction in the spinal cord. These data prompt to hypothesize a potential role of dialdehydes as analgesic agent in chronic neuropathic pain and a possible role as anti-gliotic molecules. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Local application of αβMeATP (ligand for P2X3 receptors) and capsaicin (ligand for TRPV1 receptors) to the rat hindpaw produces pain behaviors (flinching) which are enhanced by noradrenaline (NA). In this study, we have examined the effect of nerve injury on adrenergic regulation of P2X3 and TRPV1 receptors by administering αβMeATP and capsaicin, alone and in combination with NA, into the lateral and medial hindpaw in the spared nerve injury (SNI) model; this allows for an exploration of the role of injured and uninjured afferents in their effects on nociceptive signaling using a behavioral model. Following lateral hindpaw injections (sural sensory field), effects of NA and αβMeATP, both alone and in combination, were increased following SNI, but no such effects were seen following medial hindpaw injections (saphenous sensory field). Following lateral hindpaw injections, the effect of capsaicin alone was unaltered following SNI, but the effect of NA/capsaicin was reduced; this latter effect was not seen following medial hindpaw injections. At the lateral site, prazosin (α1-adrenergic receptor antagonist) inhibited the effect of NA/αβMeATP following SNI, but neither prazosin nor GF109203X (protein kinase C inhibitor) inhibited the effect of NA/capsaicin following SNI. These results demonstrate: (a) an enhanced adrenergic regulation of P2X3 receptor activity at lateral sites following SNI where signaling afferents are directly influenced by injured neurons; (b) differential effects on adrenergic regulation of TRPV1 receptors under the same conditions; (c) lack of such changes when agents are administered into medial sites following SNI. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• ICTF successfully ameliorates SNI-induced mechanical hypersensitivity. • ICTF improves the motor coordination and balance in SNI rats. • ICTF may be exploited as a potential candidate in the treatment of neuropathic pain. Neuropathic pain is still one of the unsolved public health problems worldwide. Although the current reagents can attenuate neuropathic pain to a certain extent, their clinical application is very limited owing to larger toxicity and serious side effects. Trifluoro-icaritin (ICTF) has been documented to possess profound anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective activities, but whether ICTF exerts an anti-nociceptive effect on neuropathic pain remains unknown. Here, a rat model of spared nerve injury (SNI)-induced neuropathic pain was used. SNI rats were administrated with ICTF (i.p.) once daily lasting for 21 days, and subsequently the pain-related behaviors were evaluated by applying mechanical or thermal pain threshold, CatWalk gait parameter, and rotarod test on day 1 before and day 1, 3, 7, 10, 14, and 21 after SNI surgery, respectively. The results showed that ICTF (0.5 mg/kg, 1.5 mg/kg, and 5.0 mg/kg, i.p.) treatment alleviated SNI-induced mechanical allodynia but not thermal hyperalgesia in a dose-dependent manner. After administration of ICTF at the most effective dose of 5.0 mg/kg to SNI rats, CatWalk gait analysis revealed that ICTF not only significantly enhanced gait parameters including max contact max intensity, max intensity, print area, and stand time but also decreased the swing time; Rotarod test further exhibited that ICTF could effectively prolong the time on rod and increase the rotating speed in SNI rats. Additionally, following ICTF (5.0 mg/kg) treatment of SNI rats for 21 consecutive days, the max contact max intensity was found to be positively correlated with the rotating speed. Taken together, ICTF successfully ameliorates mechanical hypersensitivity and improves the motor coordination and balance in SNI rats, suggesting that ICTF may be exploited as a potential candidate in the management of neuropathic pain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• MAPKS play important roles in regulating neural plasticity and tissue inflammation responses after tissue and nerve injuries. • SNI increased MAPKs expression both in dorsal root ganglion and spinal cord. • High-frequency spinal cord stimulation attenuated SNI-induced mechanical and cold allodynia. • The effects of HFSCS were associated with the reduction of MAPKs activation Neuromodulation therapies offer a treatment option that has minimal side effects and is relatively safe and potentially reversible. Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) has been used to treat various pain conditions for many decades. High-frequency SCS (HFSCS) involves the application of a single waveform at 10,000 Hz at a subthreshold level, therefore providing pain relief without any paresthesia. We tested whether early HFSCS treatment attenuated spared nerve injury (SNI)-induced neuropathic pain. The phosphorylation profile of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs), i.e., extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERKs), c-Jun N-terminal kinases (JNKs), and p38, was evaluated to elucidate the potential underlying mechanism. SNI of rat unilateral sciatic nerves induced mechanical hyperalgesia in the ipsilateral hind paws. Rats were assigned to SCS sessions with HFSCS (frequency 10 kHz; pulse width 30 μs; pulse shape of charge-balanced, current controlled; delivered continuously for 72 h), or sham stimulation immediately after SNI. Tissue samples were examined at 1, 3, 7, and 14 days after SNI. Behavioral studies showed that HFSCS applied to the T10/T11 spinal cord significantly attenuated SNI-induced mechanical hyperalgesia compared with the sham stimulation group. Moreover, western blotting revealed a significant attenuation of the activation of ERK1, ERK2, JNK1, and p38 in the dorsal root ganglia and the spinal dorsal horn. Application of HFSCS provides an effective treatment for SNI-induced persistent mechanical hyperalgesia by attenuating ERK, JNK, and p38 activation in the dorsal root ganglia and the spinal dorsal horn. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]