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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

The effect of spinal and systemic administration of indomethacin on zymosan-induced edema, mechanical hyperalgesia, and thermal hyperalgesia.

Pretreatment with intraperitoneal (i.p.) indomethacin was used to determine whether indomethacin preferentially affected the development of edema and hyperalgesia to thermal and mechanical stimuli produced by injection of zymosan in the ispsilateral hindpaw of the rat. Indomethacin also was delivered intrathecally (i.t.) either 30 minutes before or 4 hours after intraplantar zymosan to determine whether spinal prostaglandin production was important for the induction and/or maintenance of hyperalgesia. Zymosan alone produced a robust edema, a monophasic mechanical hyperalgesia, and a biphasic thermal hyperalgesia in the ipsilateral hindpaw. Systemic administration of indomethacin reduced zymosan-induced edema and increased thermal and mechanical response thresholds in the zymosan-injected paw. Systemic indomethacin did not affect thermal withdrawal response thresholds in the uninjected contralateral hindpaw of zymosan-treated rats, but significantly increased mechanical withdrawal thresholds of the uninjected contralateral paw of zymosan-treated rats. i.t. administration of indomethacin before the induction of hyperalgesia attenuated the development of zymosan-induced mechanical hyperalgesia, but did not affect the development of either zymosan-induced edema or thermal hyperalgesia. Once hyperalgesia was established, i.t. indomethacin also attenuated the mechanical hyperalgesia whereas it had no effect on thermal hyperalgesia or edema. These data suggest that peripheral, but not spinal prostaglandins contribute to the edema and development of thermal hyperalgesia produced by zymosan. In contrast, spinal prostaglandins contribute to the development and maintenance of mechanical hyperalgesia.

Journal Article↗

Effects of intrathecal antibodies to substance P, calcitonin gene-related peptide and galanin on repeated cold stress-induced hyperalgesia: comparison with carrageenan-induced hyperalgesia.

Rats exposed to a cold environment (4 degrees C) for 30 min every 1 h during the day and at night show a gradual decrease in the nociceptive threshold for pressure stimulation. Such hyperalgesia, referred to as repeated cold stress (RCS)-induced hyperalgesia, is stable for at least 4 h and maintained for 3 days only by exposing to cold overnight; thus, no adaptation to RCS is apparent. Hyperalgesia gradually returns over 4 days after cold exposure ceases. To determine whether three neuropeptides, substance P (SP), calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) and galanin (GAL), which are present in the superficial dorsal horn including primary afferent terminals, would be responsible for RCS-induced hyperalgesia, we examined the effects of intrathecal injections of their antibodies (used as inhibitors of neuropeptide-mediated synaptic transmission) on the nociceptive threshold of RCS rats, and compared this with the antibody effect on carrageenan-induced hyperalgesia. An intrathecal injection of anti-SP antibody significantly inhibited the hyperalgesia of RCS rats as well as carrageenan-induced hyperalgesia, and slightly increased the nociceptive threshold of non-RCS rats. Anti-CGRP antibody produced an improvement in the hyperalgesia of RCS rats as well as carrageenan-induced hyperalgesia without having an effect on the nociceptive threshold of non-RCS rats. Although anti-GAL antibody significantly inhibited carrageenan-induced hyperalgesia, it did not affect the nociceptive threshold of RCS and non-RCS rats. The present results suggest that enhancement of synaptic transmission mediated by SP and CGRP, but not GAL, in the spinal dorsal horn is, at least in part, involved in RCS-induced hyperalgesia.

Animals↗

Pre-emptive ring-block with bupivacaine prevents the development of thermal hyperalgesia, but not sustained mechanical hyperalgesia, in rat tails exposed to ultraviolet A light.

UNLABELLED: We investigated the role of the C-fiber barrage in the development of hyperalgesia in rat tails exposed to ultraviolet A (UVA)-light exposure by pre-emptively blocking C-fiber activation with the local anesthetic bupivacaine. Thirty minutes before UVA-light exposure, male Sprague-Dawley rats were given subcutaneous injections, in the base of the tail, of either saline or bupivacaine (1 mL of .5%). Thermal hyperalgesia was assessed daily from day 1 to day 10 after UVA-light exposure by measuring response latency to noxious heat (tail immersion in 49 degrees C water). Injection of bupivacaine completely prevented the development of thermal hyperalgesia (P < .05, main effect of group, 2-way analysis of variance). Primary mechanical hyperalgesia was assessed daily from day 1 to day 14 after UVA-light exposure by measuring aversive behavior responses to a punctate pressure applied to the tail with a von Frey anesthesiometer. The rats given bupivacaine developed hyperalgesia to the mechanical challenge that persisted for 14 days (P < .05, main effect of time, 2-way analysis of variance) and was identical to the hyperalgesia developed by the rats given saline. We concluded that the C-fiber barrage is involved in the development of thermal hyperalgesia but not sustained primary mechanical hyperalgesia, induced by exposing rats' tails to UVA light. PERSPECTIVE: UVA-light exposure of the rat tail causes prolonged hyperalgesia to noxious thermal and mechanical challenges. We have demonstrated that the C-fiber barrage is involved in the development of sustained thermal hyperalgesia, but not mechanical hyperalgesia, caused by exposure of the rat tail to UVA light.

Analysis of Variance↗

Effect of prolonged nerve block on inflammatory hyperalgesia in rats: prevention of late hyperalgesia.

BACKGROUND: Recent evidence suggests that the duration of the nociceptive block may be an important factor in determining the effect of the block on injury-induced hyperalgesia after block resolution. The authors examined whether a tonicaine nerve block lasting for 12 to 16 h could prevent late inflammatory hyperalgesia. METHODS: Inflammatory hyperalgesia was induced by injection of carrageenan into the rat paw. A threshold of motor response to increasing pressure was determined for the injected paw, contralateral paw, and tail The development of edema of the paw and an increase in paw temperature also were determined. The block was achieved by simultaneous percutaneous injections of tonicaine (a new long-acting anesthetic agent) or lidocaine at the sciatic nerve (greater trochanter level) and the saphenous nerve (midthigh level). RESULTS: Carrageenan without nerve block caused a profound primary (injected paw) and secondary (contralateral paw and tail) hyperalgesia that lasted for 3-5 days. Tonicaine nerve block administered before carrageenan completely prevented primary and secondary hyperalgesia. Tonicaine block administered 5 h after carrageenan injection reversed secondary hyperalgesia and prevented the development of late (> or = 24 h) primary and secondary hyperalgesia. Edema and temperature of the paw were not significantly affected by the nerve block administered before or after carrageenan. CONCLUSIONS: A prolonged nerve block (12-16 h) can prevent the development of long-lasting (3-5 days) inflammatory hyperalgesia. Prevention of late hyperalgesia can be provided not only by the preinjury block but also by the postinjury block administered when hyperalgesia is already well established.

Animals↗

Hyperalgesia caused by nerve transection: long-lasting block prevents early hyperalgesia in the receptive field of the surviving nerve.

UNLABELLED: The aim of our study was to test the hypothesis that a long-lasting N-butyl tetracaine nerve block (>2 wk) would be much more effective in the prevention of hyperalgesia caused by nerve transection than the short-lasting lidocaine block. The study was performed with the use of the saphenous nerve section model in rats. The saphenous nerve was exposed and injected with saline, lidocaine (37 mM), or N-butyl tetracaine (37 mM). Ten minutes later, the nerve was transected in some of the rats. The development of mechanical hyperalgesia (pressure threshold) of the hindpaw was assessed during a 5-wk period. In rats with saphenous nerve transection without nerve block (saline injection), 3 h after the transection, the pressure threshold decreased by approximately 30% (from 175+/-11 g to 122+/-23 g, P < 0.0001); the threshold increased somewhat the next day, then it remained stable for 2 wk, with a slow process of recovery afterward. N-butyl tetracaine block without nerve transection caused a slow-developing decrease in the pressure threshold with the first statistically significant change at the sixth day. The comparison of the preventive effects of lidocaine and N-butyl tetracaine blocks on early hyperalgesia caused by nerve transection demonstrated that both lidocaine and N-butyl tetracaine prevented hyperalgesia 3 h after the transection. However, the protective effect of lidocaine disappeared the next day. In contrast, N-butyl tetracaine prevented early hyperalgesia for almost a week. The slow-developing late hyperalgesia caused by long-lasting nerve block makes it impossible to study the protective effect of such a block on late hyperalgesia caused by axotomy. As far as early hyperalgesia is concerned, the preventive effect of the N-butyl tetracaine was much longer than that of lidocaine and continued for approximately 1 wk. IMPLICATIONS: A long-lasting nerve block can prevent early hyperalgesia caused by nerve transection.

Anesthetics, Local↗

Stress hyperalgesia in rats: an experimental animal model of anxiogenic hyperalgesia in human.

Emotional, non-noxious stress consisting of inescapable holding or exposure to novelty were found to produce clearcut and reproducible hyperalgesia in the rat. The mechanisms of the two stress hyperalgesia appeared to be different: 1) hypophysectomy enhanced holding hyperalgesia but reduced novelty hyperalgesia, indicating that pituitary factors respectively compensate (through opioids ?) and participate (through ACTH ?) in stress hyperalgesia; 2) diazepam did not alter holding hyperalgesia but abolished novelty hyperalgesia. The two types of stress hyperalgesia might represent animal models of anxiogenic hyperalgesia observed in human: as for clinical anxieties, they are alleviated or not by diazepam.

Animals↗

Neurogenic hyperalgesia: the search for the primary cutaneous afferent fibers that contribute to capsaicin-induced pain and hyperalgesia.

1. A local cutaneous injury can produce primary hyperalgesia within the injured area and secondary hyperalgesia in the normal surrounding skin. An intradermal injection of capsaicin in humans causes intense pain and hyperalgesia to heat and to mechanical stimuli in the surrounding skin. Psychophysical studies in humans supported the conclusions that the hyperalgesia was predominantly the secondary type and depended on one set of neurons sensitizing another ("neurogenic hyperalgesia") and that the latter set of neurons is located in the central and not the peripheral nervous system. To further test this hypothesis and to search for peripheral neural mechanisms contributing to the pain and neurogenic hyperalgesia from a local injury, we performed neurophysiological experiments in the monkey (Macaca fascicularis) and recorded the responses of cutaneous primary afferent fibers to an intradermal injection of capsaicin and to mechanical and heat stimuli delivered before and after the injection. 2. Most C- and A-fiber mechanoheat-sensitive nociceptive afferent fibers (CMHs and AMHs, respectively) responded too weakly or transiently to capsaicin to account quantitatively for the magnitude of capsaicin pain. Of the known primary afferents tested with capsaicin injections, only the responses of heat-selective nociceptors could potentially account for the pain measured psychophysically in the human. In addition, a novel type of primary afferent--tentatively termed "chemonociceptive"--may have contributed as well. 3. Nociceptive fibers did not become sensitized to either mechanical or heat stimulation after an injection of capsaicin either outside, adjacent to, or inside the receptive field (RF); any changes that occurred could not explain the hyperalgesia to mechanical or heat stimuli observed in humans. 4. The depressed responsiveness ("desensitization") of both myelinated and unmyelinated nociceptive fibers in the monkey to heat and/or mechanical stimulation of the injection site after capsaicin was injected inside their RFs correlated with the analgesia observed at the capsaicin injection site in the human. 5. Capsaicin, topically applied to the RF in a vehicle of dimethyl sulfoxide or alcohol, excited CMHs and AMHs and enhanced the responses of some of these fibers to heat and/or to stroking the skin. In some cases, similar results were produced by the vehicle alone. However, capsaicin and not the vehicle lowered the thresholds of some CMHs to heat. Thus the sensitization of CMHs contributes to the primary hyperalgesia known to occur within the area of skin directly exposed to topically applied capsaicin.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Afferent Pathways↗

Spinal brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) produces hyperalgesia in normal mice while antisense directed against either BDNF or trkB, prevent inflammation-induced hyperalgesia.

Although known primarily for its role in neuronal development, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) has also recently been implicated in processes mediated by the adult nervous system, such as spinal nociception. Peripheral inflammation increases expression of BDNF preferentially in dorsal root ganglion cells that contain substance P and/or calcitonin gene-related peptide, known nociceptive transmitters for which synthesis is also increased during inflammatory states. Expression of the tyrosine kinase receptor that selectively binds BDNF, trkB, is increased in the spinal dorsal horn during inflammation as well. Additionally, intrathecal (i.t.) administration of the BDNF-scavenging protein trkB-IgG attenuates inflammation-induced behavioral responses. Collectively, this evidence implicates BDNF in spinal nociceptive processes. Here we show that, in normal mice, i.t. BDNF produces an acute, dose-dependent thermal hyperalgesic response. Selective inhibition of BDNF expression by i.t. antisense oligodeoxynucleotide treatment produces antinociception in normal mice and attenuates carrageenan-induced hyperalgesia. Further, we demonstrate that i.t. antisense treatment directed against the full-length trkB receptor (trkB.FL) attenuates carrageenan-induced hyperalgesia. Consistent with a trkB.FL-mediated mechanism, the i.t. administration of another trkB ligand, neurotrophin-4/5, also produces hyperalgesia while the trkC agonist neurotrophin-3, which weakly cross-reacts with trkB, has little effect. Finally, with the accumulating evidence linking BDNF to synaptic plasticity, we investigated whether BDNF-induced hyperalgesia in normal mice involves the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor. Interestingly, i.t. co-administration of the NMDA receptor antagonist D(-)-2-amino-5-phosphonovaleric acid (D-APV) with BDNF dose-dependently inhibits BDNF-induced hyperalgesia, suggesting that BDNF induces acute hyperalgesic responses and affects central sensitization in a process dependent on NMDA receptor activation.

Animals↗

Activation of protein kinase C in the spinal cord produces mechanical hyperalgesia by activating glutamate receptors, but does not mediate chronic muscle-induced hyperalgesia.

BACKGROUND: Protein kinase C (PKC) in the spinal cord appears to mediate chronic injury-induced pain, but not acute nociceptive pain. Muscle insult results in increased release of glutamate spinally, and hyperalgesia that is reversed by spinal blockade of NMDA and non-NMDA glutamate receptors. Therefore, we hypothesized that spinal activation of PKC 1) mediates the late phase of hyperalgesia 1 week after muscle insult, and 2) produces mechanical hyperalgesia through activation of NMDA and non-NMDA glutamate receptors. RESULTS: Rats were implanted with intrathecal catheters for delivery of drugs directly to the spinal cord. Mechanical withdrawal thresholds of the paw were determined using von Frey filaments. Intrathecal phorbol 12,13 dibutyrate (PDBu) produced a dose-dependent decrease in the mechanical withdrawal threshold of the paw that was prevented by pretreatment with the PKC inhibitor, GF109203X. Pretreatment with an NMDA receptor antagonist (AP5) or a AMPA/kainate receptor antagonist (NBQX) prevented the decrease in mechanical withdrawal threshold by PDBu. Two injections of acidic saline in the gastrocnemius muscle decreased the mechanical withdrawal thresholds of the paw bilaterally 24 h and 1 week after the second injection. However, blockade PKC in the spinal cord had no effect on the decreased withdrawal thresholds of the paw when compared to vehicle controls. CONCLUSION: Spinal activation of PKC produces mechanical hyperalgesia of the paw that depends on activation of NMDA and non-NMDA receptors. Chronic muscle-induced mechanical hyperalgesia, on the other hand, does not utilize spinal PKC.

Animals↗

Intravenous remifentanil produces withdrawal hyperalgesia in volunteers with capsaicin-induced hyperalgesia.

Opioids administered during surgery may be beneficial by preempting postoperative pain or detrimental by causing acute tolerance. We used a stable model of hyperalgesia in volunteers to test whether acute opioid exposure also results in such pain sensitization over a period of hours in humans. Ten healthy volunteers were studied. Areas of mechanical hyperalgesia and allodynia were induced by topical capsaicin application plus intermittent heating. Computer-controlled IV remifentanil infusion was titrated to a targeted plasma concentration that reduced pain report to noxious heat by 70% and was maintained at this level for 60-100 min. Areas of hyperalgesia and allodynia were measured during and after remifentanil infusion. Remifentanil (targeted concentration of 3.1 +/- 1.2 ng/mL) reduced areas of hyperalgesia and allodynia by 33% +/- 31% and 65% +/- 28%, respectively, during infusion (P < 0.05). Areas of hyperalgesia and allodynia continuously enlarged 4 h after remifentanil was stopped, to 180% +/- 47% and 180% +/- 86%, respectively. This study demonstrates that acute opioid exposure enhances hypersensitivity for hours after exposure. If applicable to the surgical setting, this could increase the dose of opioid required for postoperative analgesia and enhance, rather than inhibit, postoperative pain.

Adult↗

Spinal EP receptors mediating prostaglandin E2-induced mechanical hyperalgesia, thermal hyperalgesia, and touch-evoked allodynia in rats.

Intrathecal administration of prostaglandin E(2) (PGE(2)) produces mechanical hyperalgesia, thermal hyperalgesia, and touch-evoked allodynia in rats. Experiments were conducted to examine the effects of intrathecal administration of relatively selective PGE(2) receptor (EP receptor) agonists to establish which spinal EP receptors mediate these behavioral effects of spinally administered PGE(2). Administration of either sulprostone (EP(3) receptor agonist) or PGE(1) alcohol (EP(4) receptor agonist) produced marked mechanical and thermal hyperalgesia and touch-evoked allodynia. Neither 17-phenyl trinor PGE(2) (EP(1) receptor agonist) nor butaprost (EP(2) receptor agonist) produced any significant changes in behavioral response thresholds to mechanical or thermal stimuli. However, 17-phenyl trinor PGE(2) (EP(1) receptor agonist) did produce marked touch-evoked allodynia. These data suggest that in rats activation of spinal EP(3) and EP(4) receptors by PGE(2) is important for development of both mechanical and thermal hyperalgesia as well as for touch-evoked allodynia. PGE(2)-induced allodynia also appears to involve activation of spinal EP(1) receptors.

Alprostadil↗

Effect of lamotrigine in the acute and chronic hyperalgesia induced by PGE2 and in the chronic hyperalgesia in rats with streptozotocin-induced diabetes.

There is still a need for a new analgesic devoid of the side effects presented by opioids or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, for the treatment of some acute and chronic pain conditions. Lamotrigine (Lamictal1, 10-100 mg/kg), a new anticonvulsant, showed analgesic effects in the acute model of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2)-induced hyperalgesia when given orally before or after the subplantar injection of PGE2 in the rat. It also inhibited the development of sustained hyperalgesia induced by multiple subplantar injections of PGE2 when administered orally prior to the PGE2 injections. Furthermore, lamotrigine induced analgesia in the model of chronic hyperalgesia in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. The effects of carbamazepine and phenytoin are compared to the effects of lamotrigine in this model. The results suggest that lamotrigine could be used in pain conditions where neuronal sensitization may be present and possibly also where it could inhibit the development of this sensitization.

Acute Disease↗

Peripheral and central mechanisms of cutaneous hyperalgesia.

Hyperalgesia after cutaneous injury can be divided into two phenomena: Primary hyperalgesia occurs at the site of injury and is characterized by hyperalgesia to mechanical and heat stimuli. Secondary hyperalgesia occurs outside the injury site and is characterized by mechanical hyperalgesia only. Hyperalgesia in inflammatory processes corresponds to primary hyperalgesia. Hyperalgesia in referred pain and neuropathic pain resembles secondary hyperalgesia (Table 3). Evidence for the latter would be strengthened if hyperalgesia to cooling stimuli, which is observed in neuropathic pain, was also demonstrated in referred pain and in secondary hyperalgesia. Some of the more likely neural mechanisms to explain primary and secondary hyperalgesia are illustrated in Fig. 8. Primary hyperalgesia to heat stimuli has a counterpart in the sensitization of peripheral nociceptors to heat stimuli (Fig. 8A), leading to similar changes in central neurons. In addition, the enlargement of the mechanical receptive field of primary afferent nociceptors to include the site of injury may account for the primary hyperalgesia to mechanical stimuli (Fig. 8B). In the literature, there are some contradictions with respect to the stimulus modalities to which hyperalgesia and sensitization occur. In spite of the well-documented sensitization of primary afferent nociceptors to heat stimuli, there are few studies on its molecular mechanisms. On the other hand, there is pharmacological evidence for a peripheral mechanism of primary mechanical hyperalgesia, but little direct evidence that nociceptors can be sensitized to mechanical stimuli by injury. This contradiction should spawn further investigations into the mechanical response properties of nociceptors and into the molecular mechanisms of heat sensitization. Secondary hyperalgesia to mechanical stimuli is likely due to the sensitization of central pain signalling neurons (CPSNs). This sensitization could involve only input from nociceptors (Fig. 8C), since mechanical pain thresholds after a cutaneous injury are of the same order as those of nociceptors. Central sensitization could also be the result of enhanced connectivity between low-threshold mechanoreceptors and CPSNs (Fig. 8D). This form of sensitization may account for the pain to light touch associated with neuropathic pain. Receptive field plasticity is a prevalent property of dorsal horn neurons and probably plays a vital role with regard to hyperalgesia. The molecular mechanisms of synaptic plasticity are currently subject to intense experimental investigation and may provide new insights on the mechanisms of pain and hyperalgesia.

Animals↗

Secondary hyperalgesia to heat stimuli after burn injury in man.

The aim of the study was to examine the presence of hyperalgesia to heat stimuli within the zone of secondary hyperalgesia to punctate mechanical stimuli. A burn was produced on the medial part of the non-dominant crus in 15 healthy volunteers with a 50 x 25 mm thermode (47 degrees C, 7 min), and assessments were made 70 min and 40 min before, and 0, 1, and 2 h after the burn injury. Hyperalgesia to mechanical and heat stimuli were examined by von Frey hairs and contact thermodes (3.75 and 12.5 cm2), and pain responses were rated with a visual analog scale (0-100). The area of secondary hyperalgesia to punctate stimuli was assessed with a rigid von Frey hair (462 mN). The heat pain responses to 45 degrees C in 5 s (3.75 cm2) were tested in the area just outside the burn, where the subjects developed secondary hyperalgesia, and on the lateral crus where no subject developed secondary hyperalgesia (control area). The burns decreased pain thresholds and increased pain responses to both thermal and mechanical stimuli within the burn (P < 10(-5)). Further, the burns induced secondary hyperalgesia (mean 89 cm2) to punctate mechanical stimuli (P < 10(-5)), and increased the pain response to mechanical stimuli in the areas of secondary hyperalgesia (P < 10(-5)). The pain response to heat stimuli increased over time in the area of secondary hyperalgesia (P < 10(-5)), and so did the pain response to heat on the lateral part of the crus (P < 10(-3)). However, the heat pain response increased more (P = 0.006) and was more intense (P = 0.001) within the zone of secondary hyperalgesia than on the lateral part of the crus. Further, the heat pain response was more intense in the zone of primary hyperalgesia than in the zone of secondary hyperalgesia (P = 0.004), in contrast to the mechanical pain response, which was not significantly different between the two zones of hyperalgesia. In conclusion, secondary hyperalgesia in man is not restricted to mechanical stimuli, as significant hyperalgesia to heat developed within the zone of secondary hyperalgesia to punctate mechanical stimuli. The data, combined with other evidence, suggest differences in the mechanisms accounting for primary hyperalgesia to heat and mechanical stimuli, whereas secondary hyperalgesia to heat and mechanical stimuli may be explained by a common central mechanism.

Adult↗

Substance P and capsaicin-induced mechanical hyperalgesia in the rat knee joint; the involvement of bradykinin B1 and B2 receptors.

1. Substance P (SP) and capsaicin induced a mechanical hyperalgesia when injected into rat knee joints. 2. The NK1 receptor antagonists CP 99994 (10-100 nmol) and RP 67580 (0.1-1 nmol) blocked the development of, and also reversed, SP-induced hyperalgesia. Capsaicin (10 nmol)-induced hyperalgesia was blocked by capsazepine (0.5-5 nmol). 3. Capsaicin-induced hyperalgesia was prevented and reversed by the NK1 receptor antagonists CP 99994 (100 nmol) and RP 67580 (1 nmol). 4. The bradykinin B2 receptor antagonist icatibant (5 pmol) blocked the development of both SP and capsaicin-induced hyperalgesia. Icatibant (100 pmol kg-1, i.v.) also reversed an established SP and capsaicin-induced hyperalgesia. 5. Both low dose SP (1 nmol) and capsaicin (1 nmol)-induced hyperalgesia were potentiated by the kininase II inhibitor captopril (100 micrograms). 6. The B1 receptor antagonists desArg9Leu8-bradykinin (BK) (0.5-5 nmol) and desArg10[Hoe 140] (5-50 pmol) only blocked the development of SP-induced hyperalgesia for 30 min after administration. desArg9Leu8-BK (10 nmol kg-1 i.v.) did not reverse an established SP-induced hyperalgesia. 7. Capsaicin-induced hyperalgesia was blocked by desArg9Leu8-BK (0.5 nmol) and this antagonist also reversed an established capsaicin-induced hyperalgesia. 8. Interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1ra 0.1 microgram) reduced the development of SP-induced hyperalgesia up to 4 h after administration, but did not reverse an established hyperalgesia. IL-1ra (0.1 microgram) also blocked the development of and reversed an established capsaicin-induced hyperalgesia. 9. Indomethacin pretreatment (1 mg kg-1, s.c.) did not reduce the development of either SP- or capsaicin-induced hyperalgesia but following indomethacin-pretreatment desArg9Leu8-BK (10 nmol kg-1, i.v.) failed to reverse a capsaicin-induced hyperalgesia. 10. In conclusion, both SP and capsaicin can induce behavioural hyperalgesia when injected into the knee joint of rats. In addition, blockade of NK1, bradykinin B1, B2 and IL-1 beta receptors can substantially modulate this hyperalgesia.

Animals↗

Inflammation modulates the contribution of receptor-subtypes to bradykinin-induced hyperalgesia in the rat.

While B2 receptors mediate pain and hyperalgesia induced by bradykinin, in normal rats, recent reports indicate that, in the setting of inflammation, B1 receptors also mediate pain and hyperalgesia. Since bradykinin-induced hyperalgesia in normal rats is mediated by prostaglandins released from the postganglionic sympathetic neurons, we have evaluated the contribution of the sympathetic nervous system to the hyperalgesia induced by bradykinin, a preferential B2-receptor agonist, and des-Arg9-bradykinin, a major metabolite of bradykinin and a selective B1-receptor agonist. Mechanical hyperalgesia was quantified by the Randall-Selitto paw-withdrawal method. Inflammation was induced by injecting Complete Freund's Adjuvant into the left hindpaw of the rat and testing mechanical nociceptive threshold in the right hindpaw after injecting B1 or B2 agonists and/or antagonists. Sympathectomy was achieved by surgically removing sympathetic ganglia L1-L4. Rats were used 48 h post-adjuvant injection. In the normal rat, intradermal injection of bradykinin but not des-Arg9-bradykinin, into the dorsal surface of the hindpaw, produced a dose-dependent decrease in mechanical nociceptive threshold. NPC 17731, a B2-receptor antagonist, but not des-Arg9-[Leu8]-bradykinin, a B1-receptor antagonist, almost completely inhibited the decrease in mechanical threshold, suggesting that bradykinin hyperalgesia in the normal rat hindpaw was mediated by B2 receptors. In rats whose left paws were treated, 48 h earlier, with adjuvant, intradermal injection of bradykinin or des-Arg9-bradykinin, into the right paw produced dose-dependent hyperalgesia. Bradykinin hyperalgesia was partially inhibited by NPC 17731, and the residual part by des-Arg9,[Leu8]-bradykinin. des-Arg9-bradykinin hyperalgesia was inhibited by des-Arg9,[Leu8]-bradykinin but not by NPC17731. These results suggest that in the setting of inflammation, bradykinin hyperalgesia was mediated by both B1 and B2 receptors, and that des-Arg9-bradykinin hyperalgesia was mediated by the B1 receptor. Forty-eight hours after injection of complete Freund's adjuvant, in sympathectomized rats, bradykinin or des-Arg9-bradykinin failed to produce hyperalgesia, suggesting that intact sympathetic postganglionic neurons are required for the hyperalgesia produced by these agents in this model. These results are consistent with the suggestions that B2 receptors mediate bradykinin-induced cutaneous hyperalgesia in the normal rat hindpaw. The hyperalgesia induced by bradykinin, 48 h post injection of complete Freund's adjuvant is mediated by both B1 and B2 receptors, that by des-Arg9-bradykinin is mediated by B1 receptors. The hyperalgesia induced by both agents is dependent on the presence of intact sympathetic postganglionic neurons.

Analysis of Variance↗

Acute thermal hyperalgesia in the rat is produced by activation of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors and protein kinase C and production of nitric oxide.

There is general agreement that activation of the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor is involved in thermal hyperalgesia. However, there is less agreement on the specific intracellular events subsequent to receptor activation and the involvement of other excitatory amino acid receptors in thermal hyperalgesia. In the present study, we found that the intrathecal administration of N-methyl-D-aspartate produced a dose- (1 fmol-1 pmol) and time-dependent thermal hyperalgesia. In contrast, over the dose range tested, intrathecal administration of either alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methylisoxazole-4-proprionate (AMPA; 10 fmol-100 pmol), 1,3-trans-1-aminocyclopentyl-1,3-dicarboxylate (10 fmol-100 pmol), quisqualate (10 pmol-5 nmol) or a 1:1 combination of AMPA and 1,3-trans-1-aminocyclopentyl-1,3-dicarboxylate (total dose 20 fmol-200 pmol) did not produce any evidence of thermal hyperalgesia; greater doses produced a caudally-directed biting and scratching behavior that precluded testing in the paradigm used. A fixed dose of 1,3-trans-1-aminocyclopentyl-1,3-dicarboxylate (100 pmol) did, however, potentiate the effects of N-methyl-D-aspartate (1-100 fmol). Thermal hyperalgesia produced by N-methyl-D-aspartate (1 pmol) was attenuated by intrathecal administration of the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor-selective antagonist 2-amino-5-phosphonopentanoate (100 pmol), but not by the AMPA receptor-selective antagonist 6,7-dinitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione (1 nmol) or the metabotropic receptor antagonist 2-amino-3-phosphonoproprionate (10 nmol). In a second series of experiments, we examined the role of different signal transduction systems in acute N-methyl-D-aspartate-produced thermal hyperalgesia. N-Methyl-D-aspartate-produced thermal hyperalgesia (1 pmol) was attenuated by intrathecal hemoglobin (1-100 pmol) and dose-dependently by intrathecal N(G)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (10 pmol-l nmol), Methylene Blue (10 pmol-l nmol) and chelerythrine (1-100 pmol), suggesting that acute N-methyl-D-aspartate-mediated thermal hyperalgesia involves activation of nitric oxide synthase and protein kinase C. In contrast, N-methyl-D-aspartate-produced thermal hyperalgesia was unaffected by intrathecal administration of the phospholipase A2 inhibitor mepacrine (10 nmol) or the phospholipase C inhibitor neomycin (10 nmol). While prostaglandins and leukotrienes have been suggested to play a role in hyperalgesia, N-methyl-D-aspartate-produced thermal hyperalgesia (1 pmol) was unaffected by the non-selective eicosanoid inhibitor nordihydroguaiarate (1 nmol), the cyclo-oxygenase selective inhibitor indomethacin (10 nmol) or the lipoxygenase selective inhibitor baicalein (1 nmol). The results of the present study suggest that acute thermal hyperalgesia can be produced by activation of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors. Activation of AMPA, metabotropic or co-activation of AMPA and metabotropic glutamate receptors, at the doses tested, did not produce an acute thermal hyperalgesia. The thermal hyperalgesia produced by N-methyl-D-aspartate is mediated by activation of nitric oxide synthase and protein kinase C, but not by phospholipase C, phospholipase A2, cyclo-oxygenase or lipoxygenase. Collectively, the results are consistent with a role for spinal N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors, nitric oxide and protein kinase C in thermal hyperalgesia.

Animals↗