• Helle Kirstein Erichsen, Jing-Xia Hao, Xiao-Jun Xu, and Gordon Blackburn-Munro.
• Department of Pharmacology, NeuroSearch A/S, 93 Pederstrupvej, DK-2750, Ballerup, Denmark.
• Eur. J. Pharmacol. 2003 Jan 5; 458 (3): 275-82.

AbstractThe pain-relieving effects of various voltage-activated Na(+) channel blockers have been evaluated in two rat models of neuropathic pain; the photochemically induced nerve injury model (Gazelius) and spared nerve injury model. Lidocaine (up to 40 mg/kg, i.p.) and lamotrigine (up to 60 mg/kg, i.p.) had no effect on mechanical or cold allodynia in either model. However, lamotrigine (10, 30 and 60 mg/kg) significantly attenuated mechanical hyperalgesia in the spared nerve injury model, while mexiletine (25 and 37.5 mg/kg, i.p.) attenuated mechanical allodynia in the Gazelius model. Tocainide (50, 75 and 100 mg/kg, i.p.) significantly reduced all types of pain behaviour measured. The present results show that these voltage-activated Na(+) channel blockers have broadly similar antinociceptive effects in these two models of neuropathic pain. They also show that these drugs can have markedly different effects on distinct neuropathic pain-related behaviours within models.

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