Effect of administration of high dose intrathecal clonidine or morphine prior to sciatic nerve section on c-Fos expression in rat lumbar spinal cord

Changes in VGLUT2 expression and function in pain-related supraspinal regions correlate with the pathogenesis of neuropathic pain in a mouse spared nerve injury model

Vesicular glutamate transporters (VGLUTs) control the storage and release of glutamate, which plays a critical role in pain processing. The VGLUT2 isoform has been found to be densely distributed in the nociceptive pathways in supraspinal regions, and VGLUT2-deficient mice exhibit an attenuation of neuropathic pain; these results suggest a possible involvement of VGLUT2 in neuropathic pain. To further examine this, we investigated the temporal changes in VGLUT2 expression in different brain regions as well as changes in glutamate release from thalamic synaptosomes in spared nerve injury (SNI) mice. We also investigated the effects of a VGLUT inhibitor, Chicago Sky Blue 6B (CSB6B), on pain behavior, c-Fos expression, and depolarization-evoked glutamate release in SNI mice. Our results showed a significant elevation of VGLUT2 expression up to postoperative day 1 in the thalamus, periaqueductal gray, and amygdala, followed by a return to control levels. Consistent with the changes in VGLUT2 expression, SNI enhanced depolarization-induced glutamate release from thalamic synaptosomes, while CSB6B treatment produced a concentration-dependent inhibition of glutamate release. Moreover, intracerebroventricular administration of CSB6B, at a dose that did not affect motor function, attenuated mechanical allodynia and c-Fos up-regulation in pain-related brain areas during the early stages of neuropathic pain development. These results demonstrate that changes in the expression of supraspinal VGLUT2 may be a new mechanism relevant to the induction of neuropathic pain after nerve injury that acts through an aggravation of glutamate imbalance.

Long-term changes of c-Fos expression in the rat spinal cord following chronic constriction injury

The expression of c-Fos protein has been used as a relative marker of nociceptive neuronal activity in the spinal cord following various noxious stimuli. Experiments were conducted to examine c-Fos expression in lumbar spinal cord (L3-L6) following chronic constriction injury (CCI) in relation to nociceptive behavior over longer survival period up to 28 days. Development of mechanical allodynia was observed in the ipsilateral hind paw of CCI rats at day 3 and lasted up to 28 days. In contrast, the spinal c-Fos expression in CCI rats appeared in a biphasic manner. The highest number of c-Fos positive neurons occurred during the first week, followed by a decline at 7 and 14 days and reappearance at day 28 following injury. The early increase of c-Fos expression correlated with allodynia development, however, at longer survival period (28 days) c-Fos positivity become comparable in both CCI and sham groups despite their obvious behavior differences. Our results suggest that, at least in the CCI model, the c-Fos protein expression should not be considered as a reliable index of pain sensation disorders.

The effect of a thoracic spinal block on fos expression in the lumbar spinal cord of the rat induced by a noxious electrical stimulus at the hindpaw

BACKGROUND

Fos expression in the lumbar spinal cord, resulting from a noxious electrical stimulus at the hindpaw, is hypothesized to originate from three sources: direct sensory input of the noxious stimulus, local interactions in the spinal cord, and input of modulating signals from supraspinal regions. Our aim in this study was to discriminate among these sources by eliminating the supraspinal input.

METHODS

Therefore, a spinal block was administered in male Wistar rats by administering a local anesthetic (bupivacaine) through an intrathecal catheter at the mid-thoracic level. This thoracic spinal block completely suppressed the noxious stimulation-induced withdrawal reflex that is normally elicited by electrical stimulus. Fos immunoreactivity (Fos-IR) was quantified in all laminae of the L4 segment of the spinal cord.

RESULTS

Noxious stimulation resulted in a general and strong increase in Fos-IR in the ipsilateral dorsal horn, mainly in Laminae I, II, and V. Thoracic spinal block caused a remarkable increase in the amount of Fos-IR in Lamina V, but had no significant effect on the Fos-IR in Laminae I and II.

CONCLUSIONS

The increase in Fos-IR in Lamina V may have resulted from the interruption of a pain-modulating descending mechanism from the brain. A known modulating descending mechanism is the serotonergic system, controlled by the periaqueductal gray. This system inhibits the neurons in the superficial laminae. Another nonserotonergic system originates in the anterior pretectal nucleus. The latter facilitates neurons in the superficial laminae, while neurons in Lamina V are inhibited. We conclude that both systems are probably involved in the observed effects of the peripheral noxious stimulation given in the present model.

Effects of spinal alpha(2)-adrenoceptor and I(1)-imidazoline receptor activation on hindlimb movement induction in spinal cord-injured mice

A partial recovery of locomotor functions has been shown in spinal cord-transected (Tx) cats after regular treadmill training and repeated administration of clonidine, an alpha(2)-adrenoreceptor agonist. However, clonidine has generally failed to show prolocomotor effects in other models (e.g., rat or mudpuppy in vitro-isolated spinal cord preparations). The reasons for this discrepancy remain unclear, but they may suggest condition- or species-specific effects induced by clonidine. This study is aimed at examining both the acute (at 6 or 41 days post-Tx) and chronic effects of repeated (once a week for one month) clonidine administration (0.25-5.0 mg/kg i.p.) on hindlimb movement generation in Tx mice (thoracic segment9/10). Locomotor-like (LM) and nonlocomotor movements (NLM) were assessed both in open-field and treadmill conditions. The results show that clonidine consistently failed, in both conditions, to induce LM and NLM at all time points even though control experiments revealed hindlimb movements steadily induced by 8-hydroxy-2-(di-N-propylamino)-tetralin (8-OH-DPAT), a serotonin receptor agonist. In turn, clonidine acutely suppressed (I(1)-imidazoline receptor-mediated) the frequency of spontaneously occurring LM and NLM but apparently increased spinal excitability over time, because the frequency of spontaneous LM and NLM was significantly greater in clonidine-treated (before an injection) than vehicle-treated animals after repeated administration for a few weeks. The results clearly show that clonidine can not acutely induce hindlimb movements in untrained and otherwise nonstimulated (e.g., no tail or perineal pinching) Tx mice, although repeated administration may progressively facilitate the expression of spontaneous hindlimb movements.

The role of capsaicin-sensitive primary afferents in experimental sciatica induced by disc herniation in rats

STUDY DESIGN

The topical capsaicin treatment of the sciatic nerve, which was proved to destroy capsaicin-sensitive primary afferent (CSPA) fibers, was performed to determine the effect on decreases in paw withdrawal mechanical threshold (PWMT) and changes in spatial expression pattern of spinal c-Fos protein induced by the direct compression of L5 nerve root with autologous disc.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the role of CSPA fibers in the development of mechanical hyperalgesia in the new sciatica model.

SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA

To date, CSPA fibers have been shown to be involved in development of thermal hyperalgesia in various pain models. But the controversy still exists as to whether CSPA fibers are involved in the development of mechanical hyperalgesia in different pain models. To our best knowledge, the role of CSPA in sciatica was not investigated. Therefore, the present study was designed to determine the role of CSPA fibers in the newly developed sciatica model.

METHODS

All surgeries were performed in Sprague-Dawley rats. PWMT was measured at the different time points postsurgery and presurgery. The changes in spatial expression pattern of c-Fos protein in the spinal cord were also determined at 3 weeks when PWMT decreased to the peak.

RESULTS

The pretreatment with capsaicin produced a complete prevention of mechanical hyperalgesia induced by disc compression. The direct compression of L5 nerve root produced an obvious expression of Fos-like immunoreactivity neurons in the dorsal horn of the spinal cord, which was significantly decreased by pretreatment with capsaicin.

CONCLUSION

We conclude that CSPA fibers, which mainly terminated in superficial layers of dorsal horn, may play a key role in mechanical hyperalgesia in the new sciatica model.

Intrathecal neuropeptide Y reduces behavioral and molecular markers of inflammatory or neuropathic pain

Our previous work indicates that the intrathecal administration of neuropeptide Y (NPY) acts at its cognate receptors to reduce behavioral signs of nociception in several models of inflammatory pain, including the formalin test. The present study extends these findings to a rat model of peripheral neuropathic pain, and then evaluates the hypothesis that NPY inhibits inflammation- and nerve injury-induced activation of spinal nociceptive transmission. Here we show that NPY dose-dependently reduced behavioral signs of mechanical and cold hypersensitivity in the spared nerve injury (SNI) model. Intrathecal administration of either a Y1 (BIBO3304) or a Y2 (BIIE0246) receptor antagonist dose-dependently reversed the anti-allodynic actions of NPY. To monitor the effects of NPY on the stimulus-induced activation of spinal nociresponsive neurons, we quantified protein expression of the immediate-early gene c-fos in lamina I-VI of the L4-L5 dorsal horn, with special attention to the mediolateral pattern of Fos immunohistochemical staining after SNI. Either tactile stimulation of the hindpaw ipsilateral to nerve injury, or intraplantar injection of noxious formalin, increased the number of Fos-like immunoreactive profiles. Tactile stimulation evoked a mediolateral pattern of Fos expression corresponding to the innervation territory of the uninjured (sural) nerve. We found that intrathecal NPY reduced both formalin- and SNI-induced Fos expression. NPY inhibition of SNI-induced Fos expression was localized to the sural (uninjured) innervation territory, and could be blocked by intrathecal BIBO3304 and BIIE0246. We conclude that NPY acts at spinal Y1 and Y2 receptors to reduce spinal neuron activity and behavioral signs of inflammatory or neuropathic pain.

Up-regulation of galanin and corticotropin-releasing hormone mRNAs in the key hypothalamic and amygdaloid nuclei in a mouse model of visceral pain

Cyclophosphamide (CP)-induced cystitis is often used as an animal model of visceral pain. Various neuropeptides in the hypothalamic and amygdaloid nuclei are implicated in pain-induced responses. However, little information is available regarding the regulation of the neuropeptides in response to visceral pain. In the present study, we examined the effects of CP-induced cystitis on the levels of mRNAs encoding galanin, corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH), substance P, and enkephalins in the hypothalamic and limbic nuclei using in situ hybridization histochemistry in mouse. Galanin mRNA levels in CP-treated group increased significantly in the arcuate nucleus and the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) but not in the medial preoptic area after the intraperitoneal administration of CP (200 mg/kg body weight) in comparison to those in saline-treated group. CRH mRNA levels in CP-treated group also increased significantly in the central amygdala as well as the PVN after the CP administration. In contrast, CP-induced cystitis failed to upregulate the preprotachykinin-A and preproenkephalin genes which encode substance P and enkephalins, respectively in the hypothalamic and limbic nuclei at any of the time points examined. These results suggest that visceral nociception may upregulate both galanin and CRH gene expression in the hypothalamic and limbic nuclei.

A selective increase in Fos expression in spinal dorsal horn neurons following graded thermal stimulation in rats with experimental mononeuropathy

In order to clarify the central mechanisms of thermal hyperalgesia produced by peripheral nerve injury, Fos protein-like immunoreactive (Fos-LI) cells in spinal dorsal horn neurons were studied in rats with chronic constriction nerve injury (CCI) following graded thermal stimulation of the hind paw. The graded thermal stimuli (cold: 5, 10 and 15 degrees C, heat: 42, 46 and 54 degrees C) were applied to the plantar surface of the operated hind paw 14 days after CCI or sham operation, and the number of Fos-LI cells in the spinal dorsal horn was quantified. Many Fos-LI cells were expressed in the superficial laminae of the spinal dorsal horn both in sham-operated and CCI rats following thermal stimulation. Fos-LI cells were mainly restricted to the medial half of the superficial laminae of the spinal dorsal horn, and were sparsely distributed in the deeper laminae. The number of Fos-LI cells in the superficial laminae (laminae I--II) of the dorsal horn was significantly higher in CCI rats after stimulation at 10 and 46 degrees C, but not at the other stimulating temperatures (5, 15, 42, and 54 degrees C) as compared to that in sham-operated rats. In laminae III-IV, the number of Fos-LI cells was significantly higher at all stimulus temperatures in CCI rats when compared to the sham-operated rats. No distribution difference of Fos-LI cells was observed between CCI and sham-operated rats in laminae V--VI. Thus, in the spinal dorsal horn of the CCI rats, there was a selective increase in thermal stimulus-induced Fos-LI cells in the superficial dorsal horn after stimulating at near noxious threshold intensities and a non-selective increase in Fos-LI cells in laminae III--IV after both noxious and innocuous thermal stimuli. The increase of Fos-LI cells in the superficial laminae may be related to hypersensitivity to noxious stimuli while the increase of Fos-LI cells in laminae III--IV may be related to an increased sensitivity to both noxious and innocuous stimuli that leads to increased reflex activity following nerve injury.

Excitability of spinal cord and gracile nucleus neurons in rats with chronically injured sciatic nerve examined by c-fos expression

Low-threshold sensory pathways have been suggested to have an important role in the formation and maintenance of sensory abnormalities which are observed after peripheral nerve injury. Fos-like immunoreactive (Fos-LI) neurons are expressed in spinal cord laminae III-IV and the gracile nucleus by electrically stimulating the injured nerves at Abeta strength after sciatic nerve transection in rats. This suggests that the excitability of these neurons is increased by nerve injury. In this study, we investigated which receptors are involved in the regulation of the increased excitability in spinal and gracile nucleus neurons. The sciatic nerve of Sprague-Dawley rats (150 g) was transected 7 days before the experiment day. The rats were administered morphine, muscimol, baclofen, MK-801, CNQX, N(G)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester hydrochloride (L-NAME) or clonidine i.p., and then electrically stimulated at 0.1 mA to the proximal region to the nerve injury site under urethane anesthesia. Two hours after the stimulation, Fos-LI expression was increased in the spinal cord dorsal horn and the gracile nucleus in control rats. Baclofen inhibited the Fos-LI expression both in the spinal cord and the gracile nucleus. Morphine inhibited only the Fos-LI expression in the posterior cutaneous (PC) nerve territory of laminae I-II, but not in the sciatic nerve (SC) territory, laminae III-IV nor the gracile nucleus. MK-801 had an inhibitory but complicated effect in laminae I-II and the gracile nucleus. The other drugs were not effective on Fos-LI expression. It is suggested that the GABA(B) receptor has a pivotal role in the regulation of Fos-LI expression after electrical stimulation to the injured low-threshold sensory fibers, and other receptors have little effect on the Fos-LI expression.

Correlation between autotomy-behavior and current theories of neuropathic pain

The past 10 years have brought several new experimental models with which to study chronic neuropathic pain in animals. Consequently, our knowledge about the mechanisms subserving neuropathic pain in humans has improved. However, the first animal model that was used for studying this type of chronic pain was the autotomy-model which can still be considered as a useful tool for pain studies. The present review assesses some of the similarities and differences between autotomy-model and more recent models of experimental traumatic mononeuropathy. In addition, it considers some of the similarities between the results obtained in clinical studies and in autotomy studies.

c-fos expression in isolated rat spinal cord

Expression of c-fos-immunoreactivity (c-fos-ir) has been demonstrated in the dorsal horn of lumbar segments of an isolated spinal cord preparation from 3 week old rats. The method of preparation generated a low level of c-fos-ir activity which was not significantly altered by low intensity (1.5 times threshold) dorsal root stimulation, but was significantly increased by high intensity (20 times threshold) stimulation. Replacement of the calcium in the bathing medium by 2 mM manganese suppressed all detectable c-fos-ir, whereas inclusion of 0.5 microM capsaicin caused intense c-fos-ir expression in the absence of stimulation. The number of dorsal horn cells exhibiting c-fos-ir increased between 0.5 and 1 h after stimulation, reaching a maximum at 2 h, with no further increase at longer intervals. Few positive cells were found when the incubation temperature was reduced from 27 to 20 degrees C. The strongest increase in c-fos-ir was found in the dorsal horn ipsilateral to the stimulated dorsal root and a smaller, but significant, increase was also seen in the contralateral dorsal horn. Cords obtained from animals treated at 1 day old with capsaicin to destroy afferent C fibres showed a reduction in the number of c-fos-ir positive cells induced by high intensity dorsal root stimulation. This preparation will aid detailed investigation of the pharmacology of nociceptive pathways.