Differential effects of naproxen and rofecoxib on the development of hypersensitivity following nerve injury in rats

Analgesic Effect of Indian Gooseberry (Emblica officinalis Fruit) Extracts on Postoperative and Neuropathic Pain in Rats

Indian gooseberry (Emblica officinalis fruit), also known as “Amla” is one of the oldest edible fruits known in India. It has also traditionally been used to treat inflammation, and as an analgesic to treat wounds. However, experimental evidence for the analgesic effects of E. officinalis has been lacking. The present study investigated whether E. officinalis extracts exhibit analgesic effects in the plantar incision (PI) and spared nerve injury (SNI) pain-model rats. We evaluated the mechanical withdrawal threshold (MWT) using von Frey filaments, and pain-related behavior was determined after surgery based on ultrasonic vocalization (USV). The group treated with E. officinalis extracts at 300 mg/kg had significantly increased MWT values at 6 h and 24 h after the PI, and had a significantly reduced number of 22–27-kHz USVs at 6 h and 24 h after PI. Moreover, after 15 days of continuous treatment with E. officinalis extracts, the treated group showed significantly alleviated SNI-induced hypersensitivity and reduced pro-inflammatory cytokine levels. Thus, E. officinalis extracts have potential analgesic effects in both postoperative and neuropathic pain models in vivo.

The indirect pathway of the nucleus accumbens shell amplifies neuropathic pain

We examined adaptations in nucleus accumbens (NAc) neurons in mouse and rat peripheral nerve injury models of neuropathic pain. Injury selectively increased excitability of NAc shell indirect pathway spiny projection neurons (iSPNs) and altered their synaptic connectivity. Moreover, injury-induced tactile allodynia was reversed by inhibiting and exacerbated by exciting iSPNs, indicating that they not only participated in the central representation of pain, but gated activity in ascending nociceptive pathways.

Kaempferol Attenuates the Development of Diabetic Neuropathic Pain in Mice: Possible Anti-Inflammatory and Anti-Oxidant Mechanisms

BACKGROUND: Diabetic neuropathic pain (DNP) is one of the most difficult types of pain to treat.  Many studies emphasized on the role of microglial cells, oxidative stress (OS) and inflammatory cytokines (IC) in the development of diabetic neuropathy (DN).AIM: Present study was designed to evaluate the effect of kaempferol in attenuation of DN in mice. METHODS: Diabetes was induced in mice by i.p. injection of a single dose of streptozotocin (STZ) (200 mg/kg). Cold allodynia, thermal hyperalgesia and chemical hyperalgesia were assessed, as well as markers of inflammation and OS.RESULTS: Diabetic mice (DM) showed an increased pain sensation, IC and OS accompanied with reduced body weigh gain. Treatment of DM with kaempferol (25, 50 and 100 mg/kg/day/orally) attenuated the development of DN and reduced pain sensation. Moreover, it reduced interleukin-1β (IL-1β), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), lipid peroxidation and nitrite, concomitant with the improvement of antioxidant defense and body weight gain. In contrast, kaempferol (100 mg/kg) had no effects on the behavioral and biochemical parameters. Our results strongly suggest that activated microglia, IC and OS are involved in the development of DN.CONCLUSIONS: Kaempferol attenuates the development of DNP in mice probably by inhibition of neuroimmune activation of microglia and, partly mediated by reducing IC and OS.

A minocycline derivative reduces nerve injury-induced allodynia, LPS-induced prostaglandin E2 microglial production and signaling via toll-like receptors 2 and 4

Many studies have shown that minocycline, an antibacterial tetracycline, suppresses experimental pain. While minocycline's positive effects on pain resolution suggest that clinical use of such drugs may prove beneficial, minocycline's antibiotic actions and divalent cation (Ca(2+); Mg(2+)) chelating effects detract from its potential utility. Thus, we tested the antiallodynic effect induced by a non-antibacterial, non-chelating minocycline derivative in a model of neuropathic pain and performed an initial investigation of its anti-inflammatory effects in vitro. Intraperitoneal minocycline (100mg/kg) and 12S-hydroxy-1,12-pyrazolinominocycline (PMIN; 23.75 mg/kg, 47.50mg/kg or 95.00 mg/kg) reduce the mechanical allodynia induced by chronic constriction injury of mouse sciatic nerve. PMIN reduces the LPS-induced production of PGE2 by primary microglial cell cultures. Human embryonic kidney cells were transfected to express human toll-like receptors 2 and 4, and the signaling via both receptors stimulated with PAM3CSK4 or LPS (respectively) was affected either by minocycline or PMIN. Importantly, these treatments did not affect the cell viability, as assessed by MTT test. Altogether, these results reinforce the evidence that the anti-inflammatory and experimental pain suppressive effects induced by tetracyclines are neither necessarily linked to antibacterial nor to Ca(2+) chelating activities. This study supports the evaluation of the potential usefulness of PMIN in the management of neuropathic pain, as its lack of antibacterial and Ca(2+) chelating activities might confer greater safety over conventional tetracyclines.

Antagonism by haloperidol and its metabolites of mechanical hypersensitivity induced by intraplantar capsaicin in mice: role of sigma-1 receptors

RATIONALE

We evaluated the effects of haloperidol and its metabolites on capsaicin-induced mechanical hypersensitivity (allodynia) and on nociceptive pain induced by punctate mechanical stimuli in mice.

RESULTS

Subcutaneous administration of haloperidol or its metabolites I or II (reduced haloperidol) dose-dependently reversed capsaicin-induced (1 microg, intraplantar) mechanical hypersensitivity of the hind paw (stimulated with a nonpainful, 0.5-g force, punctate stimulus). The order of potency of these drugs to induce antiallodynic effects was the order of their affinity for brain sigma-1 (sigma(1)) receptor ([(3)H](+)-pentazocine-labeled). Antiallodynic activity of haloperidol and its metabolites was dose-dependently prevented by the selective sigma(1) receptor agonist PRE-084, but not by naloxone. These results suggest the involvement of sigma(1) receptors, but discard any role of the endogenous opioid system, on the antiallodynic effects. Dopamine receptor antagonism also appears unlikely to be involved in these effects, since the D(2)/D(3) receptor antagonist (-)-sulpiride, which had no affinity for sigma(1) receptors, showed no antiallodynic effect. None of these drugs modified hind-paw withdrawal after a painful (4 g force) punctate mechanical stimulus in noncapsaicin-sensitized animals. As expected, the control drug gabapentin showed antiallodynic but not antinociceptive activity, whereas clonidine exhibited both activities and rofecoxib, used as negative control, showed neither.

CONCLUSION

These results show that haloperidol and its metabolites I and II produce antiallodynic but not antinociceptive effects against punctate mechanical stimuli and suggest that their antiallodynic effect may be due to blockade of sigma(1) receptors but not to dopamine receptor antagonism.

Intracisternal administration of COX inhibitors attenuates mechanical allodynia following compression of the trigeminal ganglion in rats

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the role of central cyclooxygenase (COX) pathways in the modulation of mechanical allodynia following compression of the left trigeminal ganglion. Experiments were carried out on male Sprague-Dawley rats mounted onto a stereotaxic frame under anesthesia. For compression, a 4% agar solution (10 microl) was injected into the trigeminal ganglion. In the control group, rats were sham operated without agar injections. Ipsilateral and contralateral air-puff thresholds significantly decreased following trigeminal ganglion compression. Mechanical allodynia was established within 3 days and lasted beyond postoperative day 30, returning to preoperative levels at approximately 55 days following compression. Intracisternal administration of indomethacin, a non-selective COX inhibitor, SC-560, a selective COX-1 inhibitor, or NS-398, a selective COX-2 inhibitor, significantly inhibited mechanical allodynia. The individual anti-allodynic effects of the three COX inhibitors persisted for 6 h and returned to pretreatment values within 24 h. Based on these results, the blockade of central COX pathways may comprise a potential new therapeutic tool for the treatment of trigeminal ganglion compression-induced nociception.

Cyclooxygenase inhibition attenuates 3-nitropropionic acid-induced neurotoxicity in rats: possible antioxidant mechanisms

Systemic administration of 3-nitropropionic acid (3-NP), a complex II inhibitor of the electron transport chain, causes motor and cognitive deficits that are associated with excitotoxicity and excessive free radical generation. Recently, cyclooxygenase (COX) inhibitors have been implicated as a neuroprotectant in the treatment of various neurological disorders. The present study was designed to investigate the effects of COX inhibitors in 3-NP-induced cognitive impairment and oxidative stress in rats. Intraperitoneal administration of 3-NP (20 mg/kg for 4 days) showed motor abnormalities and cognitive impairment in rats. Chronic treatment with naproxen (10 and 20 mg/kg) and valdecoxib (5 and 10 mg/kg) once daily for a period of 8 days beginning 4 days prior to 3-NP administration significantly improved 3-NP-induced motor and cognitive impairment in rats. Biochemical analysis revealed that systemic 3-NP administration significantly increased lipid peroxidation and nitrite levels, depleted reduced glutathione levels and reduced succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) activity in the brains of rats, whereas administration of naproxen, a nonselective COX inhibitor (10 and 20 mg/kg p.o.) and valdecoxib, a selective COX-2 inhibitor (5 and 10 mg/kg p.o.) significantly attenuated 3-NP-induced oxidative stress. Cyclooxygenase inhibitors also significantly restored the decreased SDH activity. The results of the present study clearly indicate that naproxen and valdecoxib showed protection against 3-NP-induced motor and cognitive impairment by decreasing oxidative stress.

Intrathecally administered COX-2 but not COX-1 or COX-3 inhibitors attenuate streptozotocin-induced mechanical hyperalgesia in rats

Members of the cyclooxygenase (COX) family are known to catalyze the rate-limiting steps of prostaglandins synthesis and reported to be involved in neuropathic pain. Diabetic neuropathy is a type of neuropathic pain, though it is not clear if COX is relevant to the condition. Recently, spinal COX-2 protein was found to be increasing in streptozotocin-induced rats as compared to the constitutive expression. We attempted to determine which cyclooxygenase isoforms are involved in streptozotocin-induced mechanical hyperalgesia, which was induced by a single intraperitoneal injection of 75 mg/kg of streptozotocin. Intrathecal administrations of the COX-2 inhibitors SC-58125 (7-100 microg) and NS-398 (7-60 microg), as well as a high dose (100 microg) of the COX-1 inhibitor SC-560 attenuated hyperalgesia, whereas intrathecal administrations of a low dose (10 microg) of SC-560 and the COX-3 inhibitor acetaminophen (1-7 mg) did not. Further, intrathecal administration of SC-58125 (100 microg) did not produce an analgesic effect in normal rats. These results indicate that intrathecal administration of COX-2 inhibitors has an anti-hyperalgesic effect on streptozotocin-induced mechanical hyperalgesia and we concluded that spinal COX-2 is pivotal in streptozotocin-induced hyperalgesia.

GW406381, a novel COX-2 inhibitor, attenuates spontaneous ectopic discharge in sural nerves of rats following chronic constriction injury

There are several lines of evidence to suggest that cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) plays an important role in the generation and maintenance of neuropathic pain states following peripheral nerve injury. However, COX-2 inhibitors are generally ineffective in reversing mechanical allodynia and hyperalgesia in models of neuropathic hypersensitivity. Here, we have investigated the effects of GW406381, a novel COX-2 inhibitor, on mechanical allodynia, hyperalgesia and generation of spontaneous ectopic discharge in rats following chronic constriction injury (CCI) of the sciatic nerve and compared it with rofecoxib. GW406381 (5mg/kg, 5 days of treatment) significantly reversed the CCI-induced decrease in paw withdrawal thresholds (PWTs), assessed using both von Frey hair and paw pressure tests, whereas an equi-effective dose of rofecoxib (5mg/kg, 5 days of treatment) in inflammatory pain models was ineffective. In rats treated with GW406381, the proportion of fibres showing spontaneous activity was significantly lower (15.58%) than that in the vehicle (32.67%)- and rofecoxib (39.66%)-treated rats. Ibuprofen, a non-selective COX inhibitor, at 5mg/kg, orally dosed three times a day for 5 days did not significantly affect the PWTs in CCI rats. In naïve rats, GW406381 did not significantly change the PWTs. These results illustrate that COX-2 may indeed play an important role in the maintenance of neuropathic pain following nerve injury, but that only certain COX-2 inhibitors, such as GW406381, are effective in this paradigm. Whilst the mechanisms underlying this differential effect of GW406381 are not clear, differences in drug/enzyme kinetic interactions may be a key contributing factor.

Protective effect of naproxen (non-selective COX-inhibitor) or rofecoxib (selective COX-2 inhibitor) on immobilization stress-induced behavioral and biochemical alterations in mice

Chronic stress precipitates many neuropsychiatric disorders and alters the various oxidative stress parameters in brain. Cyclooxygenase (COX) is reported to play an important role in pathogenesis of various neurodegenerative disorders including stroke and seizures. In the present study, we examined the effect of naproxen (non-selective COX-inhibitor having much potency towards COX-I isoform) or rofecoxib (a selective COX-2 inhibitor) in subchronic immobilization stress. Mice were subjected to immobilized stress for 6 h daily for a period of seven days. Naproxen (7 mg/kg, i.p.) or rofecoxib (2 mg/kg, i.p.) was administered daily for 7 days before challenging them to immobilization stress. Behavioral analysis revealed the hyperlocomotor activity and increased anxiety response. Subchronic stress decreased percent retention of memory and also caused hyperalgesia in mice. Biochemical analysis revealed that chronic immobilization stress significantly increased lipid peroxidation and nitrite levels and decreased the reduced glutathione and adrenal ascorbic acid levels. Chronic treatment with naproxen or rofecoxib significantly attenuated the immobilization stress-induced behavioral and biochemical alterations. These results suggested that the use of COX-inhibitors (naproxen or rofecoxib) could be a useful neuroprotective strategy in the treatment of stress.

Protective effect of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitors but not non-selective cyclooxygenase (COX)-inhibitors on ethanol withdrawal-induced behavioural changes

Cyclooxygenase (COX) is reported to play a significant role in neurodegeneration. Recent studies have shown that chronic ethanol administration up-regulates cyclooxygenase expression. In the present study we examined the effect of nimesulide (a preferential COX-2 inhibitor), rofecoxib (a highly selective COX-2 inhibitor) or naproxen (a non-selective COX-inhibitor displaying high affinity towards the COX-1 isoenzyme) on alcohol-induced withdrawal symptoms. Mice were made physically dependent on alcohol by the chronic administration of ethanol (2 g/kg of 10% v/v), intragastrically, twice on day 1 and then once-daily on successive days for a total of 7 days. Nimesulide [2.5 mg/kg, intraperitoneally (i.p.)], rofecoxib (2 mg/kg, i.p.) or naproxen (7 mg/kg, i.p.) were administered daily for 7 days before administering alcohol intragastrically. After 24 hours of the last alcohol administration, the treatments were reversed and the mice were tested for withdrawal, so that the animals that had received COX-inhibitors followed 30 minutes later by ethanol on days 1-7 were challenged with saline. Similarly, the animals which received saline followed 30 minutes later by ethanol received only saline. Behavioural analysis revealed hyperlocomotor activity, increased anxious response and increased hyperalgesia in mice. Also, alcohol withdrawal decreased the threshold for Pentylenetetrazole-(PTZ)-induced convulsions. Pretreatment with COX-inhibitors rofecoxib (2 mg/kg, i.p.) or nimesulide (2.5 mg/kg, i.p.) displayed significant protection against ethanol-induced withdrawal symptoms, while naproxen (7 mg/kg, i.p.) was not effective in reversing alcohol-induced withdrawal symptoms. The results of the present study suggest strongly the possible role of cyclooxygenases, particularly COX-2 inhibitors, on ethanol-induced withdrawal symptoms and the potential use of COX-2 inhibitors in their prevention and treatment.