Induction of the gene encoding pro-dynorphin by experimentally induced arthritis enhances staining for dynorphin in the spinal cord of rats

Microiontophoretic Application of Dynorphin in Dental Pain: Excitatory or Inhibitory Effects

Background

The tooth exhibits increased sensitivity to noxious stimuli due to the dense innervation of thin myelinated Aδ fibers and unmyelinated C fibers within the dental pulp. While prior research has identified dynorphin expression in layers I-II of the dorsal horn across the spinal cord in various pain models, its functional role in trigeminal nociception, including tooth pain, remains underexplored. This study examines the potential role of dynorphin in the nociceptive processing of dental stimuli.

Methods

Experiments were performed on adult male ferrets weighing 0.9-1.4 kg. The effects of dynorphin on electrically evoked responses of tooth pulp neurons were recorded extracellularly.

Results

The results demonstrated that the microiontophoretic application of dynorphin A induced excitatory and inhibitory effects on N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA)-evoked responses in electrically stimulated tooth pulp neurons. Specifically, dynorphin A attenuated NMDA-evoked responses in 16 out of 32 neurons by 61 ± 6%, facilitated NMDA-evoked responses in 10 out of 32 neurons by 69 ± 17%, and elicited mixed inhibitory and facilitatory responses in six out of 32 neurons. The inhibitory effects of dynorphin were blocked by nor-binaltorphimine, a kappa receptor antagonist, whereas the facilitatory effects were inhibited by D,L-2-amino-5-phosphonovaleric acid, an NMDA receptor antagonist.

Conclusion

These findings suggest that dynorphin A-induced excitatory responses are mediated by NMDA receptors, whereas its inhibitory responses are mediated through kappa opioid receptors in dental pain. Thus, dynorphin exerts diverse effects, highlighting its role in the perception and modulation of dental pain.

A female-specific role for trigeminal dynorphin in orofacial pain comorbidity

ABSTRACT

Migraine is commonly reported in patients with temporomandibular disorders (TMDs), but little is known about the mechanisms underlying the comorbid condition. Here, we prepared a mouse model to investigate this comorbidity, in which masseter muscle tendon ligation (MMTL) was performed to induce a myogenic TMD, and the pre-existing TMD enabled a subthreshold dose of nitroglycerin (NTG) to produce migraine-like pain in mice. RNA sequencing followed by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction confirmation showed that MMTL plus NTG treatment increased prodynorphin ( Pdyn ) mRNA expression in the spinal trigeminal nucleus caudalis (Sp5C) of female mice but not in male mice. Chemogenetic inhibition of Pdyn -expressing neurons or microinjection of antidynorphin antiserum in the Sp5C alleviated MMTL-induced masseter hypersensitivity and diminished the MMTL-enabled migraine-like pain in female mice but not in male mice. Moreover, chemogenetic activation of Pdyn -expressing neurons or microinjection of dynorphin A (1-17) peptide in the Sp5C enabled a subthreshold dose of NTG to induce migraine-like pain in female mice but not in male mice. Taken together, our results suggest that trigeminal dynorphin has a female-specific role in the modulation of comorbid TMDs and migraine.

The Emerging Role of Spinal Dynorphin in Chronic Pain: A Therapeutic Perspective

Notable findings point to the significance of the dynorphin peptide neurotransmitter in chronic pain. Spinal dynorphin neuropeptide levels are elevated during development of chronic pain and sustained during persistent chronic pain. Importantly, knockout of the dynorphin gene prevents development of chronic pain in mice, but acute nociception is unaffected. Intrathecal (IT) administration of opioid and nonopioid dynorphin peptides initiates allodynia through a nonopioid receptor mechanism; furthermore, antidynorphin antibodies administered by the IT route attenuate chronic pain. Thus, this review presents the compelling evidence in the field that supports the role of dynorphin in facilitating the development of a persistent pain state. These observations illustrate the importance of elucidating the control mechanisms responsible for the upregulation of spinal dynorphin in chronic pain. Also, spinal dynorphin regulation of downstream signaling molecules may be implicated in hyperpathic states. Therapeutic strategies to block the upregulation of spinal dynorphin may provide a nonaddictive approach to improve the devastating condition of chronic pain that occurs in numerous human diseases.

Bullatine A stimulates spinal microglial dynorphin A expression to produce anti-hypersensitivity in a variety of rat pain models

Background

Aconiti brachypodi Radix (Xue-shang-yi-zhi-hao) has been prescribed to manage chronic pain, arthritis, and traumatic injuries. Bullatine A, a C₂₀-diterpenoid alkaloid, is one of its principle effective compounds. This study aimed to investigate the anti-hypersensitivity of bullatine A in a variety of rat pain models and explore its mechanisms of action.

Methods

Rat neuropathic pain, inflammatory pain, diabetic neuropathic pain, and bone cancer pain models were used. Dynorphin A and pro-inflammatory cytokines were measured in the spinal cord and cultured primary microglia. Double immunofluorescence staining of dynorphin A and glial and neuronal cellular markers was also measured in the spinal cord.

Results

Subcutaneous and intrathecal injection of bullatine A dose-dependently attenuated spinal nerve ligation-, complete Freud’s adjuvant-, diabetes-, and bone cancer-induced mechanical allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia, with the efficacies of 45–70 % inhibition, and half-effective doses of 0.9–1.9 mg/kg for subcutaneous injection. However, bullatine A was not effective in blocking acute nociceptive response in the normal condition. Bullatine A specifically stimulated dynorphin A expression in microglia in the spinal cord in vivo and cultured primary microglia in vitro; the stimulatory effects were completely inhibited by the microglial inhibitor minocycline. In contrast, bullatine A did not have an inhibitory effect on peripheral nerve injury- or lipopolysaccharide-induced pro-inflammatory cytokine expression. The spinal anti-allodynic effects of bullatine A were entirely blocked by intrathecal injection of minocycline, the specific dynorphin A antiserum, and the selective k-opioid receptor antagonist.

Conclusions

We, for the first time, demonstrate that bullatine A specifically attenuates pain hypersensitivity, regardless of the pain models employed. The results also suggest that stimulation of spinal microglial dynorphin A expression mediates bullatine A anti-nociception in pain hypersensitivity conditions.

Mechanism of cancer pain

Ongoing and breakthrough pain is a primary concern for the cancer patient. Although the etiology of cancer pain remains unclear, animal models of cancer pain have allowed investigators to unravel some of the cancer-induced neuropathologic processes that occur in the region of tumor growth and in the dorsal horn of the spinal cord. Within the cancer microenvironment, cancer and immune cells produce and secrete mediators that activate and sensitize primary afferent nociceptors. Pursuant to these peripheral changes, nociceptive secondary neurons in spinal cord exhibit increased spontaneous activity and enhanced responsiveness to three modes of noxious stimulation: heat, cold, and mechanical stimuli. As our understanding of the peripheral and central mechanisms that underlie cancer pain improves, targeted analgesics for the cancer patient will likely follow.

Identification, characterization and quantification of specific neuropeptides in rat spinal cord by liquid chromatography electrospray quadrupole ion trap mass spectrometry

Substance P and CGRP play a central role in neuropathic pain development and maintenance. Additionally, dynorphin A is an endogenous ligand of opioid receptors implicated in the modulation of neurotransmitters including neuropeptides, such as substance P and CGRP. This manuscript proposes a method to characterize, identify and quantify substance P, CGRP and dynorphin A in rat spinal cord by HPLC-ESI/MS/MS. Rat spinal cords were collected and homogenized into a TFA solution. Samples were chromatographed using a microbore C(8) 100 x 1 mm column and a 19 min linear gradient (0:100 --> 40:60; ACN:0.2% formic acid in water) at a flow rate of 75 microL/min for a total run time of 32 min. The peptides were identified in rat spinal cord based on full-scan MS/MS spectra. Substance P, CGRP and dynorphin A were predominantly identified by the presence of specific b CID fragments. Extracted ion chromatogram (XIC) suggested selected mass transitions of 674 --> [600 + 254], 952 --> [1215 + 963] and 717 --> [944 + 630] for substance P, CGRP and dynorphin A can be used for isolation and quantitative analysis. A linear regression (weighted 1/x) was used and coefficients of correlations (r) ranging from 0.990 to 0.999 were observed. The precision (%CV) and accuracy (%NOM) observed were 10.9-14.4% and 8.9-14.2%, 8.8-13.0% and 91.0-110.2% and 97.2-107.3% and 91.8-97.3% for substance P, CGRP and dynorphin A respectively. Following the analysis of rat spinal cords, the mean endogenous concentrations were 110.7, 2541 and 779.4 pmol/g for substance P, CGRP and dynorphin A respectively. The results obtained show that the method provides adequate figures of merit to support targeted peptidomic studies aimed to determine neuropeptide regulation in animal neuropathic and chronic pain models.

Acute inflammation induces segmental, bilateral, supraspinally mediated opioid release in the rat spinal cord, as measured by mu-opioid receptor internalization

The objective of this study was to measure opioid release in the spinal cord during acute and long-term inflammation using mu-opioid receptor (MOR) internalization. In particular, we determined whether opioid release occurs in the segments receiving the noxious signals or in the entire spinal cord, and whether it involves supraspinal signals. Internalization of neurokinin 1 receptors (NK1Rs) was measured to track the intensity of the noxious stimulus. Rats received peptidase inhibitors intrathecally to protect opioids from degradation. Acute inflammation of the hind paw with formalin induced moderate MOR internalization in the L5 segment bilaterally, whereas NK1R internalization occurred only ipsilaterally. MOR internalization was restricted to the lumbar spinal cord, regardless of whether the peptidase inhibitors were injected in a lumbar or thoracic site. Formalin-induced MOR internalization was substantially reduced by isoflurane anesthesia. It was also markedly reduced by a lidocaine block of the cervical-thoracic spinal cord (which did not affect the evoked NK1R internalization) indicating that spinal opioid release is mediated supraspinally. In the absence of peptidase inhibitors, formalin and hind paw clamp induced a small amount of MOR internalization, which was significantly higher than in controls. To study spinal opioid release during chronic inflammation, we injected complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) in the hind paw and peptidase inhibitors intrathecally. Two days later, no MOR or NK1R internalization was detected. Furthermore, CFA inflammation decreased MOR internalization induced by clamping the inflamed hind paw. These results show that acute inflammation, but not chronic inflammation, induces segmental opioid release in the spinal cord that involves supraspinal signals.

Spinal dynorphin and bradykinin receptors maintain inflammatory hyperalgesia

An upregulation of the endogenous opioid, dynorphin A, in the spinal cord is seen in multiple experimental models of chronic pain. Recent findings implicate a direct excitatory action of dynorphin A at bradykinin receptors to promote hyperalgesia in nerve injured rats, and its upregulation may promote, rather than counteract, enhanced nociceptive input due to injury. Here we examined a model of inflammatory pain by unilateral injection of complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) into the rat hind paw. Rats exhibited tactile hypersensitivity and thermal hyperalgesia in the inflamed paw by 6 hours after CFA injection, whereas a significant elevation of prodynorphin transcripts in the lumbar spinal cord was seen at day 3 but not at 6 hours. Thermal hyperalgesia at day 3, but not at 6 hours, after CFA injection was blocked by intrathecal administration of anti-dynorphin antiserum or by bradykinin receptor antagonists. The antihyperalgesic effect of the latter was not due to de novo production of bradykinin or upregulation of spinal bradykinin receptors. These data suggest that elevated spinal dynorphin on peripheral inflammation mediates chronic inflammatory hyperalgesia. The antihyperalgesic effect of bradykinin receptor antagonists requires the presence of upregulated spinal dynorphin but not of de novo production of bradykinin, supporting our hypothesis that pathological levels of dynorphin may activate spinal bradykinin receptors to mediate inflammatory hyperalgesia.

PERSPECTIVE

This study shows that chronic peripheral inflammation induces a significant upregulation of the endogenous opioid peptide dynorphin. Elevated levels of spinal dynorphin and activation of spinal bradykinin receptors are essential to maintain inflammatory hyperalgesia. The results suggest that blockade of spinal bradykinin receptors may have therapeutic potential in chronic inflammatory pain.

Pronociceptive actions of dynorphin via bradykinin receptors

The endogenous opioid peptide dynorphin A is distinct from other endogenous opioid peptides in having significant neuronal excitatory and neurotoxic effects that are not mediated by opioid receptors. Some of these non-opioid actions of dynorphin contribute to the development of abnormal pain resulting from a number of pathological conditions. Identifying the mechanisms and the sites of action of dynorphin is essential for understanding the pathophysiology of dynorphin and for exploring novel therapeutic targets for pain. This review will discuss the mechanisms that have been proposed and the recent finding that spinal dynorphin may be an endogenous ligand of bradykinin receptors under pathological conditions to promote pain.

The involvement of spinal bovine adrenal medulla 22-like peptide, the proenkephalin derivative, in modulation of nociceptive processing

Bovine adrenal medulla 22 (BAM22), one of the cleavage products of proenkephalin A, possesses high affinity for opioid receptors and sensory neuron-specific receptor (SNSR). The present study was designed to examine the expression of BAM22 in the spinal cord and dorsal root ganglion (DRG) of naive rats as well as in a model of inflammation. BAM22-like immunoreactivity (BAM22-IR) was expressed in fibers in the spinal cord, with high density seen in lamina I in naïve rats. The expression of BAM22-IR in the superficial laminae was greatly reduced following dorsal rhizotomy. BAM22-IR was also located in 19% of DRG cells, mainly in the small- and medium-sized subpopulations. Following injection of complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) in the hindpaw, the expression of BAM22-IR in the superficial laminae of the spinal cord and small-sized DRG neurons on the ipsilateral side was markedly increased. Double labeling showed that the Fos-positive nucleus was surrounded by BAM22-IR cytoplasm in the spinal dorsal horn neurons or closely associated with BAM22-IR fibers in the superficial laminae. Furthermore, CFA-induced mechanical allodynia in the inflamed paw was potentiated by intrathecal administration of anti-BAM22 antibody. Together, these results demonstrate for the first time that BAM22-like peptide is mainly located in the superficial laminae of the spinal cord and mostly originates from nociceptive DRG neurons. BAM22 could thus act as a ligand for presynaptic opioid receptors and SNSR. Our study also provides evidence suggesting that BAM22 plays a role in the modulation of nociceptive processing at the spinal level under normal and inflammatory conditions.

A role for transcriptional repressor methyl-CpG-binding protein 2 and plasticity-related gene serum- and glucocorticoid-inducible kinase 1 in the induction of inflammatory pain states

Activity-dependent changes in neurons of the rat superficial dorsal horn are crucial for the induction and maintenance of neuropathic and inflammatory pain states. To identify the molecular mechanisms underlying this sensitization of superficial dorsal horn neurons, we undertook a genome-wide microarray profiling of dorsal horn gene transcripts at various times after induction of peripheral inflammation of the rat ankle joint. At early time points, upregulation of gene expression dominated, but by 7 d, downregulation was predominant. Two to 24 h after inflammation, we identified a small number of highly upregulated transcripts previously shown to be repressed by the Methyl-CpG-binding protein 2 (MeCP2), including serum- and glucocorticoid-inducible kinase (SGK1) and FK 506 binding protein 5, genes known to be important in experience-dependent plasticity. A decrease in expression of SIN3A, a corepressor in the MeCP2 silencing complex, was also found after inflammation. Phosphorylation of MeCP2 regulates activity-dependent gene transcription, and crucially we found that MeCP2 was phosphorylated in lamina I projection neurons 1 h after induction of peripheral inflammation. Lamina I projection neurons have been shown to be essential for the development of most pain states. SGK1 protein was also localized, in part, to lamina I projection neurons, and its expression in the superficial dorsal horn increased after inflammation. Furthermore, antisense knock-down of SGK1 delayed the onset of inflammatory hyperalgesia by 24 h at least. Our results uncover an unexpected complexity in the regulation of gene expression, including the modulation of transcriptional repression, that accompanies development and maintenance of an inflammatory pain state.

Pathobiology of dynorphins in trauma and disease

Dynorphins, endogenous opioid neuropeptides derived from the prodynorphin gene, are involved in a variety of normative physiologic functions including antinociception and neuroendocrine signaling, and may be protective to neurons and oligodendroglia via their opioid receptor-mediated effects. However, under experimental or pathophysiological conditions in which dynorphin levels are substantially elevated, these peptides are excitotoxic largely through actions at glutamate receptors. Because the excitotoxic actions of dynorphins require supraphysiological concentrations or prolonged tissue exposure, there has likely been little evolutionary pressure to ameliorate the maladaptive, non-opioid receptor mediated consequences of dynorphins. Thus, dynorphins can have protective and/or proapoptotic actions in neurons and glia, and the net effect may depend upon the distribution of receptors in a particular region and the amount of dynorphin released. Increased prodynorphin gene expression is observed in several disease states and disruptions in dynorphin processing can accompany pathophysiological situations. Aberrant processing may contribute to the net negative effects of dysregulated dynorphin production by tilting the balance towards dynorphin derivatives that are toxic to neurons and/or oligodendroglia. Evidence outlined in this review suggests that a variety of CNS pathologies alter dynorphin biogenesis. Such alterations are likely maladaptive and contribute to secondary injury and the pathogenesis of disease.

Allodynia and hyperalgesia produced by specific inhibition of spinal c-fos expression: lack of correlation with dynorphin content

Inhibition of spinal Fos expression increases formalin-induced nociception and decreases spinal prodynorphin messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA), suggesting that Fos modulates nociception by inducing dynorphin synthesis. This study tests the hypothesis that Fos modulates sensitivity to other somatic stimuli, such that inhibition of Fos expression will result in tactile allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia. In addition, it correlates the somatosensory effects of inhibition of Fos expression with spinal dynorphin content. Antisense oligodeoxynucleotide (ODN) to c-fos mRNA was administered by intrathecal infusion. Tactile sensitivity was tested by probing the hindpaw with von Frey filaments. Thermal sensitivity was quantitated by using withdrawal latency to radiant heat. Two percent formalin was injected into the dorsal hindpaw, and flinches were quantitated. Fos was quantitated by counting immunoreactive cells. Dynorphin was measured by immunoassay. Intrathecal antisense, but not mismatch, ODN resulted in tactile allodynia, thermal hyperalgesia, and hyperalgesia to formalin-induced nociception. Antisense ODN decreased Fos-like immunoreactivity after formalin injection but did not alter Jun-like immunoreactivity. Antisense ODN had differing effects on spinal dynorphin content, depending on the method of administration. These experiments show a role of Fos in modulating somatosensory sensitivity and suggest that induction of dynorphin synthesis is not the sole mechanism by which Fos does so.

Persistent inflammatory nociception increases levels of dynorphin1-17 in the spinal cord, but not in supraspinal nuclei involved in pain modulation

It is well established that nerve injury or inflammatory injury results in a time-dependent increase in the expression of dynorphin in the spinal cord. However, little is known about the effects of persistent pain on the expression of this endogenous opioid peptide by supraspinal nuclei implicated in the modulation of pain sensitivity. This study used enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to measure the levels of dynorphin(1-17) in the spinal cord as well as in brainstem nuclei 4 hours, 4 days, or 2 weeks after intraplantar injection of saline or complete Freund's adjuvant in the left hind paw. As previously reported, complete Freund adjuvant produced a time-dependent increase in dynorphin that was confined to the ipsilateral dorsal horn. In contrast, levels of dynorphin(1-17) in the nucleus raphe magnus, nucleus reticularis gigantocellularis pars alpha, parabrachial nuclei, microcellular tegmentum, pontine periaqueductal gray, and midbrain periaqueductal gray were not affected at any time after injection of complete Freund adjuvant. These data suggest that alterations in levels of dynorphin do not mediate the up-regulation of activity in bulbospinal pain inhibitory or pain facilitatory pathways that occurs during persistent pain.

Opioids in chronic pain

The advance in our understanding of the biogenesis of various endogenous opioid peptides, their anatomical distribution, and the characteristics of the multiple receptors with which they interact open a new avenue for understanding the role of opioid peptide systems in chronic pain. The main groups of opioid peptides: enkephalins, dynorphins and beta-endorphin derive from proenkephalin, prodynorphin and proopiomelanocortin, respectively. Recently, a novel group of peptides has been discovered in the brain and named endomorphins, endomorphin-1 and -2. They are unique in comparison with other opioid peptides by atypical structure and high selectivity towards the mu-opioid receptor. Another group, which joined the endogenous opioid peptide family in the last few years is the pronociceptin system comprising the peptides derived from this prohormone, acting at ORL1 receptors. Three members of the opioid receptor family were cloned in the early 1990s, beginning with the mouse delta-opioid receptor (DOR1) and followed by cloning of mu-opioid receptor (MOR1) and kappa-opioid receptor (KOR1). These three receptors belong to the family of seven transmembrane G-protein coupled receptors, and share extensive structural homologies. These opioid receptor and peptide systems are significantly implicated in antinociceptive processes. They were found to be represented in the regions involved in nociception and pain. The effects of opioids in animal models of inflammatory pain have been studied in great detail. Inflammation in the periphery influences the central sites and changes the opioid action. Inflammation increased spinal potency of various opioid receptor agonists. In general, the antinociceptive potency of opioids is greater against various noxious stimuli in animals with peripheral inflammation than in control animals. Inflammation-induced enhancement of opioid antinociceptive potency is characteristic predominantly for mu opioid receptors, since morphine elicits a greater increase in spinal potency of mu- than of delta- and kappa-opioid receptor agonists. Enhancement of the potency of mu-opioid receptor agonists during inflammation could arise from the changes occurring in opioid receptors, predominantly in affinity or number of the mu-opioid receptors. Inflammation has been shown to alter the expression of several genes in the spinal cord dorsal horn. Several studies have demonstrated profound alterations in the spinal PDYN system when there is peripheral inflammation or chronic arthritis. Endogenous dynorphin biosynthesis also increases under various conditions associated with neuropathic pain following damage to the spinal cord and injury of peripheral nerves. Interestingly, morphine lacks potent analgesic efficacy in neuropathic pain. A vast body of clinical evidence suggests that neuropathic pain is not opioid-resistant but only that reduced sensitivity to systemic opioids is observed in this condition, and an increase in their dose is necessary in order to obtain adequate analgesia. Reduction of morphine antinociceptive potency was postulated to be due to the fact that nerve injury reduced the activity of spinal opioid receptors or opioid signal transduction. Our recent study with endogenous ligands of the mu-opioid receptor, endomorphins, further complicates the issue, since endomorphins appear to be effective in neuropathic pain. Identification of the involved differences may be of importance to the understanding of the molecular mechanism of opioid action in neuropathic pain, as well as to the development of better and more effective drugs for the treatment of neuropathic pain in humans.

Contribution of endogenous enkephalins to the enhanced analgesic effects of supraspinal mu opioid receptor agonists after inflammatory injury

This study examined a mechanism responsible for the enhanced antihyperalgesic and antinociceptive effects of the mu opioid receptor agonist (ORA) [D-Ala(2), NMePhe(4), Gly(5)-ol]enkephalin (DAMGO) microinjected in the rostroventromedial medulla (RVM) of rats with inflammatory injury induced by injection of complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) in one hindpaw. In rats injected with CFA 4 hr earlier, microinjection of the mu opioid receptor antagonist D-Phe-Cys-Tyr-D-Trp-Arg-Thr-Pen-Thr-NH(2) (CTAP) in the RVM antagonized both the marginal enhancement of the potency of DAMGO and its antinociceptive effect. The delta opioid receptor antagonist naltriben (NTB) was without effect. In rats injected with CFA 2 weeks earlier, CTAP antagonized the effects of DAMGO to a lesser extent. However, NTB completely prevented the enhancement of the potency of DAMGO, whereas it did not antagonize DAMGO's antinociceptive effects. Microinjection of NTB alone, but not CTAP in the RVM of CFA-treated rats, enhanced the hyperalgesia present in the ipsilateral hindpaw and induced hyperalgesia in the contralateral, uninjured hindpaw. These results suggest that persistent inflammatory injury increased the release in the RVM of opioid peptides with preferential affinity for the delta opioid receptor, which can interact in a synergistic or additive manner with an exogenously administered mu opioid receptor agonist. Indeed, the levels of [Met(5)]enkephalin and [Leu(5)]enkephalin were increased in the RVM and in other brainstem nuclei in CFA-treated rats. This increase most likely presents a compensatory neuronal response of the CNS of the injured animal to mitigate the full expression of inflammatory pain and to enhance the antinociceptive and antihyperalgesic effects of exogenously administered mu opioid receptor analgesics.

Structure-activity analysis of dynorphin A toxicity in spinal cord neurons: intrinsic neurotoxicity of dynorphin A and its carboxyl-terminal, nonopioid metabolites

Dynorphin A [dynorphin A (1-17)] is an endogenous opioid peptide that is antinociceptive at physiological concentrations. Levels of dynorphin A increase markedly following spinal cord trauma and may contribute to secondary neurodegeneration. Both kappa opioid and N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonists can modulate the effects of dynorphin, suggesting that dynorphin is acting through kappa opioid and/or NMDA receptor types. Despite these findings, few studies have critically examined the mechanisms of dynorphin A neurotoxicity at the cellular level. To better understand how dynorphin affects cell viability, structure-activity studies were performed examining the effects of dynorphin A and dynorphin A-derived peptide fragments on the survival of mouse spinal cord neurons coexpressing kappa opioid and NMDA receptors in vitro. Time-lapse photography was used to repeatedly follow the same neurons before and during experimental treatments. Dynorphin A caused significant neuronal losses that were dependent on concentration (> or = 1 microM) and duration of exposure. Moreover, exposure to an equimolar concentration of dynorphin A fragments (100 microM) also caused a significant loss of neurons. The rank order of toxicity was dynorphin A (1-17) > dynorphin A (1-13) congruent with dynorphin A (2-13) congruent with dynorphin A (13-17) (least toxic) > dynorphin A (1-5) ([Leu(5)]-enkephalin) or dynorphin A (1-11). Dynorphin A (1-5) or dynorphin A (1-11) did not cause neuronal losses even following 96 h of continuous exposure, while dynorphin A (3-13), dynorphin A (6-17), and dynorphin A (13-17) were neurotoxic. The NMDA receptor antagonist MK-801 (dizocilpine) (10 microM) significantly attenuated the neurotoxic effects of dynorphin A and/or dynorphin-derived fragments except dynorphin A (13-17), suggesting that the neurotoxic effects of dynorphin were largely mediated by NMDA receptors. Thus, toxicity resides in the carboxyl-terminal portion of dynorphin A and this minimally includes dynorphin A (3-13) and (13-17). Our findings suggest that dynorphin A and/or its metabolites may contribute significantly to neurodegeneration during spinal cord injury and that alterations in dynorphin A biosynthesis, metabolism, and/or degradation may be important in determining injury outcome.

Absence of spinal response to extracorporeal shock waves on the endogenous opioid systems in the rat

Extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) seems to be a new therapeutic strategy for chronic pain due to tendopathies. Neurophysiological mechanisms of action for pain relief following ESWT are still unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate if the analgesic effect of ESWT is caused by modulation of the endogenous spinal opioid system. Rats were treated with two different energy flux densities (0.04 and 0.11mJ/mm(2)) and immunohistochemical analysis of met-enkephalin (MRGL) and dynorphin (Dyn) was performed at 4 or 72 h after ESWT. ESWT had no modulatory influence on the expression of the spinal opioid systems. Different energy doses or repetitive treatment did not alter MRGL or Dyn immunoreactivity in the spinal cord. Furthermore, a delayed effect of ESWT at 72 h after treatment was not detectable. We conclude from these findings that the analgesic effects of ESWT treatment are not supported by endogenous opioids.

Murine models of inflammatory, neuropathic and cancer pain each generates a unique set of neurochemical changes in the spinal cord and sensory neurons

The aim of this investigation was to determine whether murine models of inflammatory, neuropathic and cancer pain are each characterized by a unique set of neurochemical changes in the spinal cord and sensory neurons. All models were generated in C3H/HeJ mice and hyperalgesia and allodynia behaviorally characterized. A variety of neurochemical markers that have been implicated in the generation and maintenance of chronic pain were then examined in spinal cord and primary afferent neurons.Three days after injection of complete Freund's adjuvant into the hindpaw (a model of persistent inflammatory pain) increases in substance P, calcitonin gene-related peptide, protein kinase C gamma, and substance P receptor were observed in the spinal cord. Following sciatic nerve transection or L5 spinal nerve ligation (a model of persistent neuropathic pain) significant decreases in substance P and calcitonin gene-related peptide and increases in galanin and neuropeptide Y were observed in both primary afferent neurons and the spinal cord. In contrast, in a model of cancer pain induced by injection of osteolytic sarcoma cells into the femur, there were no detectable changes in any of these markers in either primary afferent neurons or the spinal cord. However, in this cancer-pain model, changes including massive astrocyte hypertrophy without neuronal loss, increase in the neuronal expression of c-Fos, and increase in the number of dynorphin-immunoreactive neurons were observed in the spinal cord, ipsilateral to the limb with cancer. These results indicate that a unique set of neurochemical changes occur with inflammatory, neuropathic and cancer pain in C3H/HeJ mice and further suggest that cancer induces a unique persistent pain state. Determining whether these neurochemical changes are involved in the generation and maintenance of each type of persistent pain may provide insight into the mechanisms that underlie each of these pain states.

Long-lasting regulation of galanin, opioid, and other peptides in dorsal root ganglia and spinal cord during experimental polyarthritis

Mechanisms involved in transition from acute to chronic pain are still not well understood and our means to therapeutically influence this transition are limited. Moreover, very little is known about long-lasting consequences of prolonged exposure to painful stimuli with regard to phenotypic changes and pain experience. In this study we have analyzed long term behavioral and neurochemical effects of intradermal tail injection of heat-killed mycobacterium butyricum suspended in complete Freund's adjuvant. Calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) and galanin mRNA levels were investigated in dorsal root ganglia of polyarthritic rats during the acute (21-) and the remission stage (79 days postinjection), and opioid peptide mRNAs and receptors were studied in the spinal cord. Most of the increases in peptide mRNA levels observed during the acute stage of arthritis were still present in the remission stages. Thus, CGRP and galanin mRNAs in DRGs, and opioid peptide mRNAs and opioid receptors in the spinal cord were still strongly up-regulated, when animals do not exhibit spontaneous pain behavior and inflammation. Hot-plate test in the presence of naloxone, performed in the remission stage, indicated that opiates participate in pain threshold regulation after prolonged painful condition. Finally, X-ray examination revealed a complete destruction of joint structure, thus suggesting a parallel lesion of peripheral nerve endings. These results suggest that in the remission stage of chronic joint inflammation several types of mechanisms are activated aiming at counteracting both inflammatory and neuropathic pain. Thus, opioid systems in the dorsal horn as well as galanin in DRG neurons are upregulated, both alternating pain.

[Mechanisms of opioid tolerance and opioid dependence]

OBJECTIVE

Prescription of opiates to non cancer chronic pain patients is controversial, partly because of the risk of tolerance and dependence development. The two objectives of that review were: a) to identify the factors which may explain the variability of tolerance and dependence in clinical practice; b) to analyse the cellular mechanisms of occurrence of those phenomenons.

DATA SOURCES AND EXTRACTION

To our own file, we added articles retrieved in the Medline database, using, alone or in combination, following key-words (opiate, tolerance, dependence, opiate receptor, pain treatment, cAMP, cGMP, NO, NMDA, protein kinase, gene). Out of nearly 450 articles, we selected less than 200.

DATA SYNTHESIS

Tolerance, defined as loss of opioid efficacy with time, is extremely variable and depends on pain mechanisms, intrinsic efficacy and administration modality of the opioid, as well as co-administration of other agents. Physical dependence is a consequence of the intrinsic and extrinsic adaptations concerning structures as locus coeruleus, paragigantocellular nucleus, spinal cord. Acute and chronic application of opiates and withdrawal give rise to cellular adaptations which depend on the nature and efficacy of the opiate, the type of receptor and second messengers, as well as the type of cell line under study. These cellular mechanisms have consequences on neuronal excitability and gene expression. They constitute a model of cellular tolerance and dependence, but cannot explain the subtelties encountered in clinical practice.

On the role of galanin in mediating spinal flexor reflex excitability in inflammation

The effects of exogenous and endogenous galanin on spinal flexor reflex excitability was evaluated in rats one to eight days after the induction of inflammation by subcutaneous injection of carrageenan into the sural nerve innervation area. In normal rats, electrical stimulation of C-fibres in the sural nerve elicited a brisk reflex discharge. Conditioning stimulation of C-fibres (1/s) generated a gradual increase in reflex magnitude (wind-up), which was followed by a period of reflex hyperexcitability. Intrathecal galanin dose-dependently blocked reflex hyperexcitability induced by C-fibre conditioning stimulation whereas i.t. M-35, a high-affinity galanin receptor antagonist, moderately potentiated this effect. At one to three days after the injection of carrageenen, when inflammation was at its peak, the magnitude of the reflex was significantly increased and discharge duration became prolonged. However, wind-up and reflex hyperexcitability were significantly reduced. Furthermore, reduced reflex excitability during conditioning stimulation ("wind-down") and depression of the reflex were sometimes present, which are rarely observed in normal rats. Intrathecal galanin reduced hyperexcitability during inflammation, although its potency was weaker than in normals. However, the galanin receptor antagonist M-35 strongly enhanced wind-up and reflex hyperexcitability, similarly as in normal rats. The baseline flexor reflex, wind-up and C-fibre conditioning stimulation-induced facilitation were normalized four to eight days after carrageenan injection when signs of inflammation were diminishing. Interestingly, intrathecal galanin and M-35 failed to influence spinal excitability. The results suggest a complex functional plasticity in the role of endogenous galanin in mediating spinal excitability during inflammation. There appears to be an enhanced endogenous inhibitory control by galanin on C-afferent input during the peak of inflammation, which may explain the relative ineffectiveness of exogenous galanin. During the recovery phase there may be a reduction in galanin receptors, which may impair the action of endogenous and exogenous galanin. These results further support the notion that galanin is an endogenous inhibitory peptide in nociception.

Polyarthritis-associated changes in the opioid control of spinal CGRP release in the rat

As a model of chronic inflammatory pain, Freund's adjuvant-induced polyarthritis has been shown to be associated with marked alterations in the activity of opioid- and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP)-containing neurons in the dorsal horn of the spinal cord in rats. Possible changes in the interactions between these two peptidergic systems in chronic inflammatory pain were investigated by comparing the effects of various opioid receptor ligands on the spinal outflow of CGRP-like material (CGRPLM) in polyarthritic and age-paired control rats. Intrathecal perfusion of an artificial cerebrospinal fluid in halothane-anaesthetized animals allowed the collection of CGRPLM released from the spinal cord and the application of opioid receptor ligands. The blockade of kappa-opioid receptors similarly increased CGRPLM release in both groups of rats as expected of a kappa-mediated tonic inhibitory control of CGRP-containing fibres in control, as well as in polyarthritic rats. In contrast, the higher increase in CGRPLM outflow due to the preferential blockade of mu opioid receptors by naloxone in polyarthritic rats as compared to non-suffering animals supports the idea of a reinforced mu opioid receptor-mediated tonic inhibitory control of CGRP-containing fibres in rats suffering from chronic pain. Even more strikingly, the differences observed in the effects of delta-opioid receptor ligands on CGRPLM outflow suggest that delta receptors are functionally shifted from a participation in a phasic excitatory control in non-suffering rats to a tonic inhibitory control in polyarthritic rats. These data indicate that agonists acting at the three types of opioid receptors all exert a tonic inhibitory influence on CGRP-containing nociceptive primary afferent fibres within the spinal cord of polyarthritic rats. Such a convergence probably explains why morphine and other opioids are especially potent to reduce pain in subjects suffering from chronic inflammatory diseases.

Peptide plasticity in primary sensory neurons and spinal cord during adjuvant-induced arthritis in the rat: an immunocytochemical and in situ hybridization study

Chronic polyarthritis due to complete Freund's adjuvant injection is characterized by severe inflammation and pain. In the present immunocytochemical and in situ hybridization study on the rat, we quantitatively investigated peptide and peptide messenger RNA expression in the sensory circuit at the spinal level, i.e. sensory neurons in the dorsal root ganglia and in nerve endings and local neurons in the dorsal horn of the spinal cord. The immunocytochemical experiments were carried out five, 13 and 21 days after complete Freund's adjuvant injection, whereas in situ hybridization study was performed after 21 days from complete Freund's adjuvant injection. The main results in the present study are the following: (i) a decrease in substance P-, calcitonin gene-related peptide- and galanin-like immunoreactivities in dorsal root ganglia is observed five days after complete Freund's adjuvant injection, with recovery (calcitonin gene-related peptide and galanin) or even an increase (substance P) after 21 days; (ii) calcitonin gene-related peptide, substance P and galanin peptide levels are increased in dorsal root ganglia after 21 days; (iii) opioid peptide (enkephalin and dynorphin), substance P and galanin messenger RNAs are strongly up-regulated in dorsal horn neurons after 21 days; (iv) neuropeptide Y content increases in dorsal root fibres and neuropeptide Y messenger RNA levels decrease in spinal neurons after 21 days; and (v) a dramatic decrease in calcitonin gene-related peptide and cholecystokinin messenger RNA levels is found in motoneurons in the ventral horn after 21 days. These data indicate that peptide expression in dorsal root ganglia and the spinal cord is markedly influenced by severe inflammation with distinct and individual temporal patterns, which are also related to the severe rearrangement of joint structure during polyarthritis. The increase in galanin levels in dorsal root ganglia 21 days after complete Freund's adjuvant injection can be related to the structural damage of nerve fibres. Thus, there may be a transition from inflammatory to neuropathic pain, which could have consequences for treatment of patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Using c-fos as a neural marker of pain

Just over a decade has past since Hunt et al. reported that the gene c-fos and its protein product Fos are expressed in the spinal cord of rats subjected to peripheral noxious stimulation. These authors showed that noxious stimulation (application of radiant heat or mustard oil) to the hind paw resulted in a massive increase in the expression of Fos in neurons in the dorsal horn of the lumbar spinal cord. Since then, there has been an explosion of studies in which c-fos has been used to study nociception (pain), and the number of such studies increases each year. The net result has been to establish c-fos expression as a valuable tool in pain research. Moreover, recent studies have provided evidence identifying the role of c-fos expression in spinal nociceptive processes. However, there are several important limitations to the practice of using c-fos to study nociception, and these limitations can be easily overlooked as the practice graduates to the status of an established technique. The increasing use of c-fos to study nociception necessitates a critical review of the practice, identifying the shortcomings as well as the strengths of this tool.

Dynorphin and the kappa 1 ligand [3H]U69,593 binding in the human epileptogenic hippocampus

The distribution of dynorphin (DYN), one of its binding sites (kappa 1 receptor) and their relationship to neuronal loss and granule cell hyperexcitability was examined in hippocampi from patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). In hippocampi that were not the seizure focus (mass associated temporal lobe epilepsy, MaTLE; and paradoxical temporal lobe epilepsy, PTLE) DYN-like immunoreactivity was localized in the dentate granule cells and their mossy fiber terminals within the hilus and area CA3. In hippocampi that were the seizure focus (MTLE), 89% showed an additional band of immunoreactivity confined to the inner molecular layer (IML) of the dentate gyrus, representing recurrent mossy fiber collaterals. In 11% of MTLE patients no staining was found in the IML (MTLE/DYN-). The MTLE/DYN- hippocampi were also characterized by a significantly lower degree of cell loss than in MTLE hippocampi in the dentate granule cell layer, the hilus and CA3. Both MTLE and MTLE/DYN- hippocampi showed evoked epileptiform bursting in granule cells while MTLE showed greater polysynaptic EPSPs and spontaneous excitatory activity. Thus granule cell recurrent collateral sprouting may account for only some aspects of hyperexcitability. In 30% of the MTLE group, hilar neurons of a variety of morphological types expressed DYN immunoreactivity in their somata and dendrites. The density of [3H]U69,593 binding sites in MaTLE and PTLE patients was highest in areas CA1 and the subiculum-regions having little or no DYN-staining. In the dentate molecular layer, hilus and CA3--regions with the most DYN immunoreactivity--there was a low density of ligand binding. The significance of this transmitter/receptor mismatch is yet unknown.

The regulation of prodynorphin gene expression in cultured spinal cord cells: involvement of second messengers

The regulation of prodynorphin (proDYN) mRNA levels by cAMP and protein kinase C (PKC) pathways was studied in cultured rat spinal cord cells. Spinal cord cells were cultured from 14 day (E 14) embryos of Sprague-Dawley rats. After 7 days in vitro, the spinal cord cells were incubated with either forskolin (5 microM) or phorbol-13-myristate acetate (PMA; 2.5 microM) for 1, 3, 6, 9, 12, or 24 h and the total RNA was isolated for Northern blot analyses. The proDYN mRNA level began to increase 1 h, then reached and remained at a peak 3-6 h after stimulation by forskolin or PMA. proDYN mRNA levels in forskolin treated cells decreased slightly from their peak after 9 h of treatment, whereas the level of proDYN mRNA returned to the basal level in PMA-treated cells. Pretreatment of cells with cycloheximide (a protein synthesis inhibitor; 10 microM) did not affect the forskolin- or PMA-induced increase in proDYN mRNA, but pretreatment with nimodipine (a L-type Ca2+ channel blocker; 2 microM), omega-conotoxin (a N-type Ca2+ channel blocker; 1 microM), or KN-62 (a Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II inhibitor; 5 microM) inhibited induction of proDYN mRNA both by forskolin and PMA. Additionally, dexamethasone did not affect the expression of proDYN mRNA level induced by forskolin. Our results suggest that proDYN mRNA levels in spinal cord cells is regulated by both cAMP and PKC pathways. Calcium influx through both L- and N-type calcium channels and Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II appear to be involved in the increase of proDYN mRNA levels induced by either forskolin or PMA. Furthermore, ongoing protein synthesis is not required for forskolin- or PMA-induced responses.

Enkephalinergic and dynorphinergic neurons in the spinal cord and dorsal root ganglia of the polyarthritic rat - in vivo release and cDNA hybridization studies

Complex and contradictory data have been reported regarding the changes in spinal opioidergic systems associated with chronic inflammatory pain in the rat. In an attempt to solve these discrepancies, the in vivo release of met-enkephalin and dynorphin and the expression of the corresponding propeptide genes were investigated at the spinal level in arthritic rats and paired controls. A dramatic increase in the concentration of prodynorphin mRNA (+300-550%) and a less pronounced elevation of that of dynorphin-like material (+40-50%) were found in the dorsal part of cervical and lumbar segments of the spinal cord in rats rendered arthritic by an intradermal injection of Freund's adjuvant four weeks prior to these measurements. In addition, the spinal release of dynorphin-like material (assessed through an intrathecal perfusion procedure in halothane-anaesthetized animals) was approximately twice as high in arthritic rats as in controls. In spite of significant elevations in the levels of both met-enkephalin (+30-70%) and proenkephalin A mRNA (+40-50%) in the dorsal part of cervical and lumbar segments, the spinal release of met-enkephalin-like material was decreased (-50%) in arthritic rats as compared to paired controls. Proenkephalin A mRNA (but not prodynorphin mRNA) could be measured in dorsal root ganglia, and its levels were dramatically reduced in ganglia at the lumbar segments in arthritic rats. Such parallel reductions in the spinal release of met-enkephalin-like material and the levels of proenkephalin A mRNA in dorsal root ganglia of arthritic rats support the idea that the activity of primary afferent enkephalinergic fibres decreases markedly during chronic inflammatory pain.

Descending modulation from the region of the locus coeruleus on nociceptive sensitivity in a rat model of inflammatory hyperalgesia

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the action of the descending modulation system from the locus coeruleus (LC) in a rat model of unilateral hyperalgesic inflammation. Unilateral hindlimb inflammation was produced by a subcutaneous injection of carrageenan (6 mg in 0.15 ml saline). One week before testing, rats received bilateral lesions of the LC using anodal current. Nociception was assessed by measuring withdrawal of the paw from a noxious thermal stimulus. Four hours after carrageenan injection, paw withdrawal latencies (PWLs) in the inflamed paw of the LC-lesioned rats were significantly shorter than those of the sham-operated rats. This difference in PWL between the two groups was not observed at 7 days, whereas edema and hyperalgesia still remained in the inflamed paw. At 4 h, systemic naloxone produced a further decrease of the PWL in the LC-lesioned rats but not in the sham-operated rats. These results suggest that inflammation-induced activation of the descending modulation system from the LC occurs in only the acute phase of inflammation and that a decrease in the extent of the development of hyperalgesia in the acute phase of inflammation might depend on the interaction between the descending modulation system from the LC and the opioid inhibitory system.

Spinal release of immunoreactive dynorphin A(1-8) with the development of peripheral inflammation in the rat

Microprobes bearing immobilised antibodies to dynorphin A(1-8) were used to study the basal and evoked release of this prodynorphin derived peptide in the spinal cord of urethane anaesthetised normal rats and those with a peripheral inflammation. In the absence of any active peripheral stimulus the antibody microprobes detected immunoreactive (ir)-dynorphin A(1-8) in two areas (lamina I and laminae IV-V) in the dorsal horn of the spinal cord of normal rats. With the development of unilateral ankle inflammation over 3 to 5 days following subcutaneous injections of Freund's complete adjuvant, a basal presence of ir-dynorphin A(1-8) was found in both the dorsal and ventral horn regions of both sides of the spinal cord. Lateral compression of the ankles of the normal animals did not release ir-dynorphin A(1-8) during the period of stimulation, but this neuropeptide was detected in increased amounts in the ventral horn following the stimulus. By contrast, compression of inflamed ankles produced elevated levels of ir-dynorphin A(1-8) during the period of stimulus application at three major sites in the ipsilateral spinal grey matter. The largest peak was in the deep dorsal horn/upper ventral horn (laminae VI-VII), with further sites of significant release in the mid dorsal horn (laminae II-V) and the lower ventral horn. The observation that ir-dynorphin A(1-8) is physiologically released in the ventral and deep dorsal in addition to the superficial dorsal horn of the rat suggests an involvement of dynorphins in several aspects of spinal function.

Attenuation of pain-related hyperventilation in adjuvant arthritic rats with adrenal medullary transplants in the spinal subarachnoid space

The adjuvant arthritic rat model has been utilized for the study of chronic pain, as polyarthritic rats present a variety of symptoms similar to those seen in human chronic pain conditions. In particular, hyperventilatory responses are notable in both and may more accurately reflect basal ongoing pain than do evoked noxious stimuli. To assess whether adrenal medullary transplants in the spinal subarachnoid space can alleviate basal arthritic pain, respiratory parameters were determined using whole body plesthmography in polyarthritic rats. Arthritis was induced by inoculation with an intradermal injection of complete Freund's adjuvant. Steady-state ventilation was monitored at weekly intervals in arthritic animals with adrenal medullary or control striated muscle transplants. Results revealed that adjuvant arthritis produced significant hyperventilation in animals with control transplants, as indicated by increased tidal volumes and minute ventilation, which paralleled the progression of the inflammatory process. In contrast, this hyperventilation was eliminated by adrenal medullary transplants. A role for catecholamines and opioid peptides released from the transplants was suggested by the reversal of these effects with phentolamine and naloxone. In addition, the retardation in weight gain normally observed in polyarthritic animals was markedly attenuated by adrenal medullary, but not control transplants. These findings indicate that adrenal medullary transplants in the spinal subarachnoid space can alleviate basal chronic pain as assessed in adjuvant arthritis.

Spinal opioid systems in inflammation

Until recently, basic science studies, both behavioural and electrophysiological, have concentrated on the antinociceptive actions of opioids primarily gauged against acute nociceptive responses. However, of more relevance to clinical situations are the actions of opioids in more persistent/prolonged pain states. This review sets out to examine the central actions of opioids against nociception of inflammatory origins. The first section deals with the response of the endogenous opioid system to the development of an inflammatory state and the second examines the ability of exogenous opioids to modulate inflammatory nociception. There are complex changes in the roles of endogenous opioids, in particular dynorphin, at the spinal level after inflammation although the physiological consequences remain unclear. With regard to exogenous opioids, the effectiveness of spinal morphine is rapidly enhanced after inflammation, likely to be due to changes in the interaction between the peptide cholecystokinin and the mu opioid receptor. The ability of inflammatory processes to alter both endogenous opioids and morphine analgesia at the spinal level illustrates the considerable degree of plasticity observed in opioid function.

Antinociceptive profiles of non-peptidergic neurokinin1 and neurokinin2 receptor antagonists: a comparison to other classes of antinociceptive agent

This study compared the antinociceptive properties of systemic administration of selective, non-peptidergic antagonists at neurokinin (NK1 and NK2) receptors to those of other classes of antinociceptive agent. (All doses are in mg/kg.) In mice, the NK1 antagonist, CP 99,994, preferentially (inhibitory dose50 (ID50) = 4.4) inhibited the late phase (LP) as compared to the early phase (EP) (16.1) of formalin-induced licking (FIL). A high dose (17.6) elicited ataxia in the rotarod test. Acetic acid-induced writhing was reduced at intermediate doses (10.0) whereas the tail-flick (TF) response to thermal and mechanical stimuli was inhibited only at high doses (22.7 and 17.7, respectively). Modulation of stimulus intensity did not modify the influence of CP 99,994 upon the response to heat. A similar pattern of data was acquired with RP 67,580, although this NK1 antagonist more potently inhibited writhing (2.8). In contrast, RP 68,651, the inactive isomer of RP 67,580, neither reduced the LP of FIL nor modified writhing indicating that these actions of RP 67,580 were stereospecific. Three further NK1 antagonists, SR 140,333, WIN 51,708 and WIN 62,577, likewise inhibited the LP of FIL and failed to modify the TF response at non-ataxic doses. Further, SR 140,333 (0.5) and WIN 51,708 (1.4) were potent ligands in the writhing procedure. The NK2 antagonist, SR 48,966, mimicked NK1 antagonists in preferentially inhibiting the LP (7.7) as compared to the EP (26.9) of FIL. Further, only at doses higher than those evoking ataxia (20.9) did SR 48,968 modify the TF response (36.5 and 32.0 for heat and pressure, respectively). However, it differed to NK1 antagonists in being inactive in the writhing test (> 40.0). In comparison to these NK1 and NK2 antagonists, the mu-opioid agonists (morphine and fentanyl) and kappa-opioid agonists (enadoline and U 69,593) equipotently inhibited all nociceptive responses at doses not provoking ataxia. While the glycine B receptor partial agonist, (+)-HA 966, selectively blocked the LP of FIL and did not evoke ataxia, the NMDA receptor channel blocker, (+)-MK 801, elicited antinociception only at doses close to those provoking ataxia. Finally, the NSAIDs, indomethacin and ibuprofen, the BK2 antagonist, Hoe 140 and the nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitors, L-NAME and 7 nitroindazole, inhibited the LP (but not the EP) of FIL and (except for L-NAME) also reduced writhing: in contrast, they did not evoke ataxia and were inactive in the TF procedures.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

c-fos antisense oligodeoxynucleotide increases formalin-induced nociception and regulates preprodynorphin expression

Rats, receiving an intrathecal pretreatment of oligodeoxynucleotide complementary to c-fos mRNA (antisense), showed no increases in Fos protein or preprodynorphin messenger RNA in the outer laminae of the lumbar spinal cord when challenged 4 h later with a 50 microliters intraplantar injection of 5% formalin. Animals pretreated with saline or sense oligodeoxynucleotide showed marked increases in Fos protein (2 h after formalin challenge) and preprodynorphin mRNA (20 h after formalin challenge) in the lumbar region of the cord ipsilateral to the side of the injection. The behavioural consequences of antisense pretreatment were an increase in the formalin-induced licking/biting responses during the tonic, but not the acute phase. These observations could be interpreted as representing a sequence of events beginning with the formalin-induced increase in the transcription factor Fos, which in turn increases the synthesis of preprodynorphin messenger RNA resulting in the production of the dynorphin opioid peptides which then exert a modulatory antinociceptive action.

Cerebrospinal alterations of immunoreactive dynorphin A after unilateral dorsal rhizotomy in the rat

Possible alterations of immunoreactive dynorphin A (ir-dyn A) were investigated at different levels of the spinal cord and in discrete brain regions of male rats 10, 30 and 60 days after unilateral dorsal rhizotomy, i.e., during the development of deafferentation pain and autotomy behavior that follows afferent nerve interruption. Dorsal rhizotomy caused an increase of spinal ir-dyn A at 10 days in the cervical segment; subsequent assays showed a progressive increase in other spinal regions too. At the last observation, 60 days after rhizotomy, neuropeptide levels were still significantly higher than in sham-lesioned animals in the cervical, thoracic and lumbosacral spinal cord. The spinal ir-dyn A changes were both ipsi- and contralateral to the lesion. No alterations were found in the brainstem and midbrain and a not significant decrease was observed in the hypothalamus. In the striatum and cortex, however, there was a bilateral significant increase 30 days after surgery and a constant and significant elevation was detected in the hippocampus at all three intervals. These data cast additional light on the neurochemical changes caused by the interruption of afferent nerves, followed by development of the deafferentation pain syndrome in laboratory animals and human beings. They also support the concept of central neuroplasticity in pathological pain and indicate that the opioid neuropeptide dynorphin is involved.

Spinal prodynorphin gene expression in collagen-induced arthritis: influence of the glucocorticosteroid budesonide

Changes in the spinal expression of the opioid precursor and prodynorphin, which has been implicated in the response to peripheral inflammation, were examined with semi-quantitative in situ hybridization histochemistry in rats subjected to collagen II-induced arthritis. The effects of glucocorticosteroid treatment on the basal and inflammation-induced prodynorphin expression were evaluated. Collagen II-induced arthritis caused a 16-fold increase in prodynorphin mRNA levels which comprised all neurons expressing low levels under normal conditions. In the superficial dorsal horn, one group of neurons of a large size reacted with a dramatic increase of prodynorphin mRNA, while another group of small neurons exhibited a moderate elevation of prodynorphin mRNA levels. In the deep dorsal horn of arthritic rats, most prodynorphin neurons were large and showed high prodynorphin mRNA levels. Systemic treatment with the glucocorticosteroid budesonide attenuated the arthritis-induced increase of prodynorphin mRNA expression in a topospecific manner. The budesonide-induced reduction of prodynorphin mRNA levels was more pronounced in the deep dorsal horn than in the superficial dorsal horn. Budesonide treatment of control animals caused a small, but significant increase in prodynorphin mRNA levels in the superficial laminae I/II without affecting prodynorphin mRNA levels in the deep dorsal horn. The degree of arthritis correlated closely with spinal prodynorphin mRNA levels. The tight correlation between severity of arthritis and prodynorphin mRNA levels in non-treated and corticosteroid-treated arthritic rats suggests that spinal prodynorphin expression is a good parameter for the evaluation of the influence of peripheral inflammation and of the efficacy of analgesic/anti-inflammatory drugs in its treatment. Opposite effects of budesonide on basal and inflammation-induced prodynorphin expression may involve a spinal site of action in addition to peripheral anti-inflammatory mechanisms. We suggest that the collagen II-induced arthritis in the rat is an excellent model for human rheumatoid arthritis allowing for the study of molecular plasticity of anti-inflammatory and anti-nociceptive drug action at different levels of the neuroaxis.

Expression of GAD mRNA in spinal cord neurons of normal and monoarthritic rats

This study was carried out to investigate whether the increase of GABA levels in spinal cord dorsal horn in response to chronic inflammatory lesions results from an enhanced expression of the gene that governs the production of glutamate decarboxylase (GAD), the enzyme responsible for GABA synthesis. In situ hybridization was used to visualize neurons expressing GAD mRNA within the spinal cord, in both intact rats and in animals bearing chronic monoarthritis induced by intraarticular injection of complete Freund's adjuvant. In control normal animals, neuronal labeling by an antisense oligonucleotide probe occurred throughout the spinal gray matter, except in the motoneuronal pool of Rexed's lamina IX. In treated animals 4 days after the induction of monoarthritis, a significant increase in the number of labeled cells occurred in the superficial laminae (25.3%) and the neck (17.2%) of the ipsilateral dorsal horn at segments L4-L5 which contain the projection domain of the ankle joint. At 2 weeks, values were, respectively, 20.2% and 13.9% over contralateral values, and an increase of 12.4% was found in the ventral horn. At 3 weeks, the ipsilateral increase of labeled cells was restricted to the superficial dorsal horn (15.2%). These findings emphasize the role played by the spinal GABAergic system in the modulation of chronic nociceptive input. It is suggested that the response of the spinal GABAergic system depends on the activation of GAD gene transcription in spinal neurons.

Altered calcitonin gene-related peptide, substance P and enkephalin immunoreactivities and receptor binding sites in the dorsal spinal cord of the polyarthritic rat

The dorsal horn of the spinal cord, which forms the locus of first synapses in pain pathways, is an important site of interaction between calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), substance P and enkephalin--the neuropeptides considered to be especially involved in the regulation of pain perception. Since adjuvant-induced arthritic rats provide a suitable model for peripheral inflammation and hyperalgesia, the possible alterations of immunoreactive CGRP, substance P and enkephalin as well as the binding sites for [125I]hCGRP alpha, [125I]substance P/neurokinin-1, (NK1) and [125I]FK-33-824/mu-opioid receptors were studied in the dorsal horn of the spinal cord receiving projections from the inflamed limbs. In arthritic rats compared to control animals, a bilateral increase in CGRP- and substance P-immunoreactive fibres and the presence of enkephalin-immunoreactive cell bodies were noted in the dorsal horn of the spinal cord. As for receptors, while a significant decrease in [125I]hCGRP alpha and [125I]substance P/NK1 binding sites was observed in selective layers, no measurable alteration in [125I]FK-33-824/mu-opioid binding sites was noted in any regions of the arthritic rat dorsal horn compared to the unaffected control rats. Following unilateral section of the peripheral nerve prior to induction of arthritis, CGRP- and substance P-immunoreactive fibres were markedly depleted and no enkephalin-positive neurons were observed in the ipsilateral dorsal horn. Analysis of receptor binding sites in denervated arthritic rats, however, exhibited differential responses, i.e. a significant increase in [125I]hCGRP alpha, a marked decrease in [125I]FK-33-824/mu-opioid and apparently no alteration in [125I]substance P/NK1 receptor binding sites were observed in the ipsilateral dorsal horn compared to the intact contralateral side. These results taken together provide anatomical evidence for a concerted role of these peptides in the regulation of adjuvant-induced hyperalgesia accompanying peripheral inflammation.

Localization of kappa-opioid receptor mRNA in neuronal subpopulations of rat sensory ganglia and spinal cord

A partial cDNA encoding a kappa-opioid receptor was isolated and used to generate specific 35S-labeled probes to investigate the gene expression of the kappa-opioid receptor in sensory, sympathetic and spinal neurons of the rat by in situ hybridization. A subpopulation of mainly small and medium-sized neurons within dorsal root and trigeminal ganglia expressed kappa-receptor mRNA, but no signal was detectable in the superior cervical ganglion. kappa-Receptor mRNA was distributed over neurons throughout the dorsal horn and in laminae VII/VIII. Highest concentrations of positive neurons were seen in laminae I/II, dorsal lamina X and in the lateral spinal nucleus. alpha-Motoneurons and glial cells were not labeled. This distribution of kappa-receptor mRNA indicates preferential functions of kappa-receptors in sensory signalling with particular importance to nociception.

Pre treatment with MK-801, a non-competitive NMDA antagonist, prevents development of mechanical hyperalgesia in a rat model of chronic neuropathy, but not in a model of chronic inflammation

In the rat, loose ligation of the sciatic nerve results in behavioural signs of hyperalgesia reminiscent of neuropathy in man. A further rat model, of chronic inflammatory hyperalgesia, is produced by intraplantar administration of Freund's complete adjuvant (FCA). We report here that preemptive administration of a non-competitive antagonist of the glutamate N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor, MK-801 (0.3 mg kg-1, s.c.) 30 min prior to and twice daily for a further 8 days following loose ligation of the sciatic nerve, blocks the development of mechanical hyperalgesia measured 27 days later. In contrast, MK-801 administration using the same dosing regimen did not significantly inhibit the hyperalgesia apparent 15 days following i.pl. administration of FCA. Our results suggest that the mechanisms responsible for the development of mechanical hyperalgesia associated with chronic nerve injury and chronic inflammation differ.